Having already secured a place in the semi-finals, England will be hoping to acquire some quality workout time for their batters in their last league match against a beleaguered and rain-tormented New Zealand in the women's World match Cup, in Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side would become the fourth team to book the semifinal berth if they get the better of the White Ferns here on the familiar mat of the DY Patil Stadium.
The seasoned duo of Meg Lanning and Sophie Devine were also among the marquee picks. Giants bought Devine for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz landed Lanning for Rs 1.90 crore.
Buoyed by her team's first win in the ongoing Women's World Cup in Guwahati on Friday, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine expressed hopes of a turnaround for the White Ferns in the tournament and cited South Africa's stunning victory over India.
Leading international cricketers, including Laura Wolvaardt and India's World Cup hero Deepti Sharma, will go under the hammer at the Women's Premier League auction in Delhi on Thursday, with bidding wars also expected for homegrown Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani.
Despite three straight losses in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League, Kiwi batter Sophie Devine remained confident of RCB's turnaround.
Smriti Mandhana dropped a rung to second but Jemimah Rodrigues scaled nine positions to be 10th in the latest ICC women's ODI rankings after India's title-winning World Cup performance.
Nat Sciver-Brunt: Didn't want to replicate other players by getting out in 90s
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine smashed the fastest hundred in women's Twenty20 cricket on Thursday, reaching the milestone in just 36 balls in the domestic Super Smash competition.
This is RCB's second WPL title -- their first came in 2024 -- drawing level with Mumbai Indians for the most titles won by a team.
Women's World Cup: Devonshire ruled out; New Zealand calls up Hannah Rowe
Ashleigh Gardner hailed Australia's strength in depth as key to giving her the freedom to score her match-winning century against New Zealand in the women's World Cup match in Indore on Wednesday.
Brooke Halliday and skipper Sophie Devine scored fighting fifties before the bowlers fired in unison to guide New Zealand to a comfortable 100-run win over Bangladesh in a Women's World Cup match, in Guwahati, on Friday.
Sophie Devine becomes first cricketer to register 5 consecutive fifty plus score in T20I
Delhi Capitals put up an all-round display to extend their remarkable consistency, storming into a fourth consecutive Women's Premier League final with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator, in Vadodara, on Tuesday.
IMAGES from the WPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.
Seasoned all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner's commanding century and disciplined effort from the bowlers helped defending champions Australia thrash trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 89 runs in their ICC Women's World Cup opening match in Indore on Wednesday.
Cricket Australia informed in a release that middle-order batter Rodrigues, a 'fan favourite' in Brisbane, was retained by the Brisbane Heat
Sri Lanka and New Zealand shared points as their Women's World Cup match was abandoned due to persistent rain, in Colombo, on Tuesday.
With the WPL finding its pride of place in the calendar, India can be at the forefront of where women's cricket can potentially reach, legendary New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine said.
Opener Kiran Navgire broke the record for the fastest century in women's Twenty20 cricket when she completed her hundred in just 34 balls while helping Maharashtra to a nine-wicket win over Punjab in India's Women's T20 Trophy on Friday.
Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals will be out to spoil their party.
'Like any team, we want to see continual improvement in all facets of the game. There are some big global events coming up starting with the ICC 50 over World Cup in NZ which is a huge focus for us currently.'
India bounced back from three successive defeats after starting the Women's World Cup as one of the favourites.
She considers Australia the best women's cricket team in the world right now but Ashleigh Gardner is also spooked by the fact that recently crowned ODI world champions India are well on their way to become a "very hard to beat" side in the coming decade.
Sophie Devine celebrated her return to the limited-overs format with a maiden century as last year's runner-up New Zealand thrashed South Africa by 150 runs in their opening Group 'B' match of the ICC Women's World Cup in Cuttack.
Brits ton, Mlaba's four-for power South Africa to commanding win over New Zealand
Deepti Sharma breaks into the top-five of the latest ICC ODI Women's all-rounders rankings.
'Funny enough, I'm not one for records, but when you mention Meg Lanning, I'm glad I'm above that one. As long as we are winning the games, then I'm all good.'
Relentless accuracy by the bowlers, led by Radha Yadav, drove India to a comfortable 59-run victory over New Zealand in the first women's ODI in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana hoped that veteran England pacer Kate Cross could complement Renuka Singh.
India off-spinner Deepti Sharma has been rewarded for her excellent recent form as she moved up two places to reach career-high second spot in the latest ICC women's ODI rankings for bowlers on Tuesday.
ndia will not get a better opponent than New Zealand, which is not a fancied side like its Trans-Tasman neighbour. But the two-time runners-up are as tough as nails.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur knows that fans have placed heaps of expectations on her side ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's ODI World Cup at home, and she wants to enjoy the moment without succumbing to the pressure to land a maiden title.
While Mumbai Indians lay their hands on the inaugural WPL trophy, the season threw up a lot of standout performances.
Smriti Mandhana finally played a knock befitting her calibre as India defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the deciding game to seal the three-match Women's ODI series 2-1 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
India overpowered New Zealand by 53 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method to seal their place in the semi-finals of the Women's ODI World Cup.
Women's T20 World Cup set for first-time champion as New Zealand-South Africa clash in final
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged the urgent need to address her team's batting woes following their 76-run loss to New Zealand in the second women's ODI in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Engaging fifties by skipper Smriti Mandhana and star all-rounder Elysse Perry took Royal Challengers Bangalore to a formidable 198 for three against UP Warriorz in their Women's Premier League match in Bengaluru on Monday.
