Last Updated:
The BCCI reportedly decided on Sunday that more than two cities should host the WPL and Mumbai and Bengaluru got the reward of the expansion.
RCB are the defending WPL champions. (BCCI Photo)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has had a change of plans and decided to expand the 2025 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) to four cities — Lucknow, Vadodara, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Earlier, media reports had said that only Lucknow and Vadodara would host the entire season. However, according to Sportstar, in the meeting of the BCCI Governing Council on Sunday, it was decided that the tournament should be played across more venues.
The magazine report said Mumbai and Bengaluru were added due to their strong fan base for women’s cricket. Mumbai will kick off the tournament, starting with the opening clash in early February.
“It will be played across four venues. The Mumbai leg will be played at Brabourne Stadium,” BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was quoted as saying by the publication.
Like the previous two editions, the tournament will run in the Caravan mode. Lucknow and Bengaluru will host the subsequent phases while the newly-built Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara will host the final in March.
The first edition of the tournament was hosted in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and was won by the Mumbai Indians. Last year, Bengaluru and Delhi hosted the first and second halves, and both cities’ teams reached the final, with Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) eventually winning it.
WPL 2025 Squads
UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy (c), Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Vrinda Dinesh, Saima Thakor, Poonam Khemnar, Gouher Sultana, Chamari Athapaththu, Uma Chetry, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Alana King
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt (traded), Prema Rawat, Joshitha VJ, Raghvi Bist, Jagravi Pawar
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney (c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Tanuja Kanwer, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Mannat Kashyap, Bharti Fulmali, Sayali Satghare, Deandra Dottin, Simran Shaikh, Danielle Gibson, Prakashika Naik
Mumbai Indians: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, Amandeep Kaur, S. Sajana, Keerthana, Nadine de Klerk, G. Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Akshita Maheshwari
Delhi Capitals: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning (c), Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Nandini Kashyap, N Charani, Sarah Bryce, Niki Prasad
