Mumbai Indians Preview WPL 2023: Batting Heavy, MI Might Struggle In Bowling

Mumbai have a very strong and robust batting line-up. Led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who can smash the ball a long way, they also have Nat Sciver, one of the best batters in the women’s game...

- Renin Wilben

Mumbai Indians WPL 2023 Preview: Batting heavy, MI might struggle in bowling Mumbai Indians (MI) Women purchased 17 players, six of them being overseas, at the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction in Mumbai. While doing so, they exhausted their purse of Rs 12 crore. India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur was their first purchase. Harmanpreet was expected to be among the top buys at the WPL auction. However, Mumbai got lucky and bought her for Rs 1.8 crore. Expectedly, she has been named captain of the franchise. Seasoned England all-rounder Natalie Sciver-Brunt was Mumbai’s biggest purchase at Rs 3.2 crore. They also purchased Indian pacer Pooja Vastrakar for Rs 1.9 crore, New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr for Rs 1 crore, and Indian batter Yastika Bhatia for Rs 1.5 crore. Mumbai were lucky to pick up West Indies captain Hayley Matthews for a comparatively low price of Rs 40 lakh.

STRENGTHS: A ROBUST BATTING LINE-UP

Mumbai have a very strong and robust batting line-up. Led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who can smash the ball a long way, they also have Nat Sciver, one of the best batters in the women’s game. West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews can be expected to score big, while Yastika Bhatia is a bright upcoming talent who has played a few impressive knocks for India Women. Apart from a healthy batting line-up, Mumbai Indians Women also boast top-quality all-rounders. New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr and South Africa’s Chloe Tryon will add depth to their batting and bowling. Further, Sciver and Matthews themselves are all-rounders. Harmanpreet can also turn her arm over, while Vastrakar can contribute with the bat, apart from making an impact with her pace bowling.