WPL 2025: Harmanpreet Kaur believes tournament will play big role in India’s preparations for ODI World Cup

WPL 2025: Harmanpreet Kaur believes tournament will play big role in India’s preparations for ODI World Cup

India and Mumbai Indians’ captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes the upcoming edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will play a big role in preparation for the ODI World Cup which the country is hosting later this year.

She also said that the India U-19 women’s team has set a new benchmark with their second T20 World Cup title win in Malaysia recently.

“This WPL is going to play a very big role because this year we have ODI World Cup. After the WPL, we have a very good window where we can work on our fitness,” Kaur told the media during Mumbai Indians’ pre-season press conference here on Wednesday.

“Our U-19 team is setting a benchmark with back-to-back trophies and it’s a very proud moment for all of us,” she added.

India legend Jhulan Goswami, MI’s bowling coach and team mentor, said their side has a “quality core team” for WPL and domestic players have also been impressive.

“All of them are very quality (players), they have done very well in domestic cricket and they have performed really well. One of them has just now won the U-19 (T20) World Cup, G Kamalini… (and there is) Sanskriti Gupta too,” Goswami said.

“We have a quality core team; we have a few youngsters who have picked it up this season. All of them are very quality (players), equally balanced, they understand their game well and it’s important to have a balanced team,” she added.

Mumbai head coach Charlotte Edwards said the team will continue to monitor India seamer Pooja Vastrakar, who is currently injured.

“Pooja is injured at the moment so we will be making a call on that very, very soon. Clearly, she has been a big player for us for the last couple of seasons but we are monitoring her fitness and hopefully we should be able to announce something really soon,” Edwards said.

Jhulan said WPL has changed the perspective about women’s cricket and those who are seen in the event get recognition. “Most importantly, if you go to domestic cricket, you will see their (players’) mindset, their approach towards the game, it was not there earlier.

You will see they (now) want to come and play good brand of cricket, try to impress those scout people to get a chance to play in WPL,” Goswami said.

“It’s (has had) a huge impact. People recognise all those cricketers who have done well in the last three (two) years in WPL. If you go to different parts — I travel with the Bengal team and I know — where we never used to get that recognition, now people (have) started to follow, they understand the game, they want to know when the next WPL is, when the next auction is,” she added.

Edwards said the difference can be witnessed even during trials in the off-season. “(As) someone who is new to Indian cricket, to see the difference from year one to year three now, the calibre of players, as you say, the impact it’s having in the domestic cricket and the quality that’s come through.

In the trials recently, when I compare that to year one, it’s on a different level and it’s hugely exciting for Indian cricket,” she said.

“We are seeing year-on-year, this wonderful talent coming through and we have just seen it at the U-19 (T20) World Cup. It’s a very exciting time for India, a bit scary for England,” Edwards added.

The inaugural edition of the WPL was held entirely in one city, Mumbai, whereas the second edition was held in New Delhi and Bengaluru. With four venues — Vadodara, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai — hosting the competition this year, Goswami welcomed the move.

“The best thing about WPL is going to different places in our country and it will impact local young girls, motivate them, encourage them and that is the ultimate motive of WPL,” she said.

“This season, (I’m) really happy that we are getting a chance to play in front of our fans because last season, we really missed that,” Kaur said.