Women’s Premier League 2024 to begin on February 23
The much-awaited second season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to get underway on February 23, with a clash involving the two finalists from the inaugural edition.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will lock horns with last year’s runner-up team Delhi Capitals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This encounter will start at 7.30 PM (IST). According to the schedule drawn by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the second match will witness the Royal Challengers Bangalore, squaring off against the UP Warriorz.
The summit clash will be played on March 17 after the Eliminator takes place on March 15. Both the games will be held in Delhi.
A total of 22 matches will be played in WPL 2024 and all of them will start at 7:30 PM. Like the previous season in 2023, there will be no home-away format, something that fans are accustomed to seeing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The first season was held across three venues in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Meanwhile, the forthcoming season will be held in Delhi and Bengaluru.
The format for WPL 2024 will be the same as the previous season. After the completion of the round-robin phase, the top three teams will make it to the playoffs. The team that finishes at the top of the table after the league stage will get a direct entry into the final. The teams finishing second and third will collide in the Eliminator on March 15.
Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians won the title last season after beating Delhi Capitals by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Meg Lanning, who led the Capitals, finished as the top run-getter in the tournament with 345 runs from nine matches at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 139.11. Meanwhile, Hayley Matthews, who represented Mumbai, won the Purple Cap after picking up 16 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.62 and an economy rate of 5.94.
