Still riding high on the afterglow of their maiden ODI World Cup triumph, India’s women cricketers return to the spotlight as the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) gets underway on Friday. The tournament opener promises fireworks, with defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) locking horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the DY Patil Stadium, widely regarded as the home of Indian women’s cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The high-profile clash also marks the beginning of the teams’ preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year. MI, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, enter the season as clear favourites, boasting arguably the most balanced squad in the league. With world-class all-rounders like Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr, Mumbai combine power, depth and experience across departments. Their strong Indian core, including Amanjot Kaur and Saika Ishaque, further adds to their title credentials.
RCB, the 2024 champions, will look to counter MI’s dominance under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana. While the absence of Ellyse Perry is a significant blow, Mandhana’s form at the top and the presence of explosive names like Richa Ghosh, Grace Harris and Georgia Voll ensure RCB remain a serious threat. With both teams stacked with match-winners, the opener sets the tone for a fiercely competitive WPL season to be staged across Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.CLICK FOR FULL WPL COVERAGE Match Details
- Match: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Match 1
- Date: January 9, 2026
- Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
- Time: 7:30 PM IST
MI vs RCB Live Streaming & Telecast Details
- The Women’s Premier League 2026 will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network.
- Live streaming of all matches will be available on the Jio Hotstar app and website.
Squads
- Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Gunalan Kulkarni, Nicola Carey, Sanskriti Gupta, Rahil Firdous, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (C), Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, Dayalan Hemalatha.
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