All you have to know forward of the 2024 Girls’s Premier League, which is reside in full on Sky Sports activities throughout February and March.
What’s the Girls’s Premier League?
The ladies’s equal of the beast that’s the Indian Premier League. The WPL is about to enter its second season with the inaugural version having taken place throughout March of 2023.
Whereas the IPL is now as much as 10 groups, the WPL is at the moment working with 5 – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants.
Nat Sciver-Brunt helped Mumbai Indians win the inaugural WPL in 2023
Mumbai will intention to defend their title over the approaching weeks, with the 2023 winners to kick off the competitors on Friday in a repeat of final yr’s closing in opposition to Capitals.
Indians triumphed by seven wickets within the title recreation a yr in the past – England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt scoring an unbeaten 70 as her facet reached their goal of 132 with three balls to spare.
The 2024 closing takes place on Sunday, March 17 because the 22-match season involves a conclusion at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
How can I watch the video games?
Mumbai start their title defence in opposition to Delhi Capitals on Friday in a repeat of the 2023 closing
On Sky Sports activities, with each match to be broadcast reside. There’s a recreation on daily basis between February 23 and March 13 – beginning at 2pm UK and Eire time – as the perimeters play one another twice in a double round-robin format.
The groups that end second and third within the desk will then contest the eliminator on March 15 with the winners of that going through the table-toppers within the closing on March 17. The eliminator and the ultimate can even start at 2pm within the UK and Eire.
Which English gamers are concerned?
There will likely be six England internationals within the 2024 WPL, plus Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce.
Sciver-Brunt and quick bowler Issy Wong – who took a hat-trick in final yr’s competitors – have been retained by Mumbai, with spinner Sophie Ecclestone and all-rounder Alice Capsey saved on by UP Warriorz and Delhi respectively.
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone performs for UP Warriorz within the WPL
Opener Danni Wyatt (Warriorz) and seamer Kate Cross (Royal Challengers Bangalore) have been subsequently picked up for round £30,000 every in December’s public sale.
England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and quick bowler Lauren Bell (Warriorz) had additionally been retained from the inaugural season however have since opted out of the event with a purpose to put together for March and April’s white-ball tour of New Zealand.
England captain Heather Knight has withdrawn from the IPL to deal with the upcoming tour of New Zealand
Sciver-Brunt was the second-highest run-scorer within the first WPL, behind solely former Australia captain Meg Lanning, as she scored 332 throughout 10 innings, whereas Ecclestone was the joint main wicket-taker with 16 scalps, another than Wong.
There can even be an English presence on the teaching groups with England coach Jon Lewis main Warriorz, former England captain Charlotte Edwards helming Indians and ex-Surrey wicketkeeper-batter Jonathan Batty accountable for Capitals.
What are the venues?
Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium will stage video games this time period. The primary 11 video games will likely be held in Bengaluru earlier than the motion strikes to Delhi for the rest of the event, together with the knockout stage.
Can Wong get again to her finest?
Hopefully so, with the younger quick bowler enduring a troublesome time since her wonderful WPL a yr in the past.
Run-up points led to her being dropped from Birmingham Phoenix’s staff in The Hundred and he or she then struggled for England on her sole worldwide look of the summer time, with figures of 0-24 from two overs in a T20 in opposition to Sri Lanka.
Wong took 15 wickets for Mumbai within the 2023 WPL
Wong’s first over included a large and three front-foot no-balls earlier than she conceded three fours in her second.
That could be her final England look for the foreseeable as she has not been included within the squads for the approaching New Zealand tour however says work with England’s bowling coach Matthew Mason has received her again on monitor.
“We called it ‘repair work’ at the time. I feel that’s all behind me now and the next step is match practice,” Wong just lately informed ESPNcricinfo. “[I] probably thought too much about what I was doing, and I ended up doing kind of the wrong things.
“I feel I am most likely at my finest once I’m given a state of affairs to get our staff out of and all my power goes into how I will win the sport. You simply received to win the sport in entrance of you.
“I’m absolutely fit and ready to kick it on and to try and contribute as much as possible. I want to win games for MI [Mumbai] at the moment and maybe England will happen in the future.”
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Watch all 22 matches from the 2024 WPL reside on Sky Sports activities, beginning with the opener between Mumbai and Delhi from 1.50pm on Friday on Sky Sports activities Motion (2pm first ball).
