Following an intense bidding battle, the five franchises in the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 have secured their squads, now find out below who are the potential captains of each franchise.
The five teams taking part in the WPL 2023 are the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants.
WPL 2023 potential franchise captains for the inaugural edition, Beth Mooney, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma and others
🇮🇳 Leaders. Legends. Playing for #MumbaiIndians. 💙#OneFamily #AaliRe @ImRo45 @ImHarmanpreet pic.twitter.com/ZDs349TCbT
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 13, 2023
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From @JioCinema
Most dangerous &strongest team in WPL
Captain Smriti Mandhana pic.twitter.com/THqnKV19Sv— C (@ck06821) February 13, 2023
Captain Deepti Sharma! ❤️#WPL2023 | #WPLAuction pic.twitter.com/6eCWLhAQTG
— Kunal Yadav (@kunaalyaadav) February 13, 2023
The WPL 2023 Auction featured a total of 448 players going under the hammer out of which, only 87 players were sold out. 30 of those players were overseas, while the rest 47 were Indian players.
WPL Auction 2023
The WPL Auction 2023 commenced with Indian opener Smriti Mandhana as the first player to be auctioned in WPL history. RCB bought the 26-year-old Indian vice-captain for an impressive price of INR 3.40 crores.
The WPL auction featured a total of 10 rounds of auction followed by three rounds of the accelerated auction. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 4, and the franchises look set on appointing their team leaders.
WPL 2023 potential franchise captains
Gujarat Giants – Beth Mooney
Widely considered as Australia’s run-machine Beth Mooney joined the Gujarat Giants for INR 2 crore during the WPL 2023 Auction. The all-rounder has lots of experience playing in T20Is and was also a part of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning squad. The franchise will be looking to make Mooney the captain as she has the ability to lead from the front.
Mumbai Indians – Harmanpreet Kaur
The Mumbai Indians made a quick move of signing India Women’s Team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for INR 1.8 crores. The franchise has already made hints about Harmanpreet becoming the captain of the team. Just recently, the franchise posted on their social media, depicting skipper Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur side by side with the caption, “Leaders. Legends”.
Delhi Capitals – Shafali Verma
The Delhi Capitals bought several new star players in their squad capable of leading the side as the captain. Many fans may expect Jemimah Rodrigues to take up the captaincy role. However, according to reports, the franchise could end up opting for Shafali Verma as the captain. This is due to her recent stint in U-19 T20 World Cup where the Indian opener lead the Indian ladies to a World Cup victory.
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Smriti Mandhana
Indian opener Smriti Mandhana will most likely lead the RCB side as their captain in the upcoming WPL 2023. Mandhana has previously led the Indian side and also has experience in managing her side during pressure situations.
Moreover, RCB’s director of cricket, Mike Hesson, also gave hints about Mandhana leading the franchise. Hesson gave a statement after RCB purchased the 26-year-old.
UP Warriorz – Deepti Sharma
Besides acquiring Deepti Sharma, UP Warriorz bought some big names for their squad like Alyssa Healy, and Sophie Ecclestone. However, the UP franchise will likely make Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma the captain, considering her experience. Besides, the stars, the franchise has also purchased a host of young domestic players in the squad. As such, having an Indian skipper would make more sense considering better communication.
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