Follow UsMumbai Indians are the OGs of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). After all, they are the inaugural champions of India’s first-ever women’s T20 league.
That win and their top-three finish in the next season were built on the immense strength of their top five batters (Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Amelia Kerr).
However, even if you look at the bowling charts, you’ll find three of their five highest run scorers (Matthews, Kerr, and Sciver-Brunt) among their top five wicket-takers. They are the stars of this team, as the others play around them.
While all three are amongst the top all-rounders in the world, with Kerr being the Player of the Tournament in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the others in the team will have a huge challenge to face in case any of these three don’t perform.
This is exactly what happened in the Eliminator of WPL 2024 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where Harmanpreet was left with too much to do at the end as the other batters failed to take their team home in a 136-run chase. This 2025 season would be a test of MI’s players outside of their top 5.
Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Sajana Sajeevan, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Saika Ishaque, Akshita Maheshwari/Jintimani Kalita
Their top five
There is not much that needs to be reiterated here since any team would spend as much money as possible within their limits to obtain the services of all five of Matthews, Yastika, Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet, and Kerr.
While Yastika is a really good cricket ball hitter, Matthews was at the forefront of MI’s title-winning campaign in the first season.
Meanwhile, Sciver-Brunt is their most valued player, taking them to spectacular wins with both bat and ball. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is the leading run scorer for the side, and Kerr, like Sciver-Brunt, has been stupendous with her all-round performances.
If the 2025 season witnesses even four of them performing at their potential which we all have seen in the past, hardly any force in the WPL can stop them from reaching the final with ease.
Indian bowling contingent
While Matthews, Kerr, and Sciver-Brunt have shouldered the major responsibilities of bowling tight overs, MI would be wary of their underbelly, which consists of young Indian bowlers.
While Shabnim Ismail is also there, she is nearing the wrong side of the 30s and only plays a few franchise leagues in the year. In case she takes some time to warm up during the season, MI would need Saika Ishaque and pace bowling allrounder Amanjot Kaur to really step up.
However, Kaur is coming off a lengthy injury layoff and can be errant in the first few games. There would also be the exciting off-spinner Sanskriti from Madhya Pradesh who made the WPL after some really spirited domestic performances in Madhya Pradesh's stellar season.
Their remaining pace bowling options include young pace bowling all-rounder Akshita Maheshwari, who has a really good inswinger, and Jintimani Kalita, who has been in the setup since the first season. Both are too young and inexperienced to shoulder major responsibilities, but if they perform well, Harmanpreet would have a plethora of wicket-taking bowlers to turn to.
Who can be MI’s MVP?
Who else but the allrounder supreme, Nat Sciver-Brunt!
She has been the Indians’ talisman, scoring 504 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 132.3. She also picked 20 wickets in two seasons at an average of 22 and struck every 17.7 deliveries on average.
She would yet again be in the limelight as MI tried to correct last season's mistakes and lift the WPL trophy for the second time.
Things to watch out for
> Amanjot’s fitness and bowling rhythm.
> Sajana’s finishing.
> Yastika Bhatia’s full-fledged return to top-level cricket after an injury break.
> How they will fill Pooja Vastrakar's gap in the XI
15 February - MI vs DC, Vadodara
18 February - GG vs MI, Vadodara
21 February - RCB vs MI, Bengaluru
26 February - MI vs UPW, Bengaluru
28 February - DC vs MI, Bengaluru
6 March - UPW vs MI, Lucknow
10 March - MI vs GG, Mumbai
11 March - MI vs RCB, Mumbai
Note: After some changes in the squad, the article was updated at 7:10 PM, February 13.