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.
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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to build on those gains when they take on a star-studded UP Warriorz in the WPL in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Australia's Ashleigh Gardner replaced compatriot Beth Mooney as Gujarat Giants' captain for WPL 2025.
UP Warriorz will be looking to bounce back and avenge their earlier defeat when they take on a resurgent Gujarat Giants in a crucial return-leg Women's Premier League fixture in Lucknow on Monday.
Sciver-Brunt smashed a 39-ball 57, her second consecutive half-century, after taking two wickets for 26, as MI first bowled out GG for a modest 120 and then chased down the target, scoring 122 for 5 with 3.5 overs to spare.
Nadine de Klerk's four-fer, followed by a match-winning half-century, powered RCB to open their account with a win in the opening match of WPL 2026 against MI on Friday in Navi Mumbai.
Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, have been heavily reliant on Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who has been their standout performer.
The Gujarat Giants will be hoping to improve their bowling and fielding after a disappointing defeat in their Women's Premier League season opener. They will face the UP Warriorz, led by Deepti Sharma, who will be looking to capitalize on their strong spin bowling attack. The match will be a crucial one for both teams as they seek to make their mark in the tournament.
Gujarat Giants registered their third victory of the season with a 31-28 win against Telugu Titans in a nail-biting contest at the Pro Kabaddi League in Noida on Saturday.
At the halfway mark, Gujarat Giants led 22-18.
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As the half wore on, the Thalaivas continued to keep their opponents at bay and then Shafaghi landed an all out on the Giants as well, to stretch the lead to a 9-point one.
The UP Yoddhas delivered a dominant performance to trounce Gujarat Giants 59-23 in their Pro-Kabaddi League in Pune on Thursday.
Smarting from their dramatic Super Over loss in the Women's Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will aim to get back on track when they take on bottom-placed Gujarat Giants in Bengaluru on Thursday.
UP Warriorz's 12 runs win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru knocked the defending champions out from the race to the play-offs on Saturday, confirming qualification for Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants in the process.
The franchise chose to retain only former Under-19 World Cup winner Shweta Sehrawat as part of a fresh approach for the upcoming season.
Delhi, the season 8 champions, extended their unbeaten streak to 15 matches, a record for any team in PKL history.
Mumbai Indians suffered a two-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals in their opening match, which was marred by a few controversial run-out decisions.
The Gujarat Giants had a special guest cheering them on during their match against the Delhi Capitals at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.
He said one of the things the team lacked last season or in the last cycle was some explosiveness at the bottom order.
Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Rodrigues among players retained for WPL 2026: Report
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.
Telugu Titans held their composure in the final quarter to overcome the Gujarat Giants 30-25 in the Pro Kabaddi League, in Delhi on Sunday.
On the defensive front, the pairing of Rahul Sethpal and Rahul Ahri has been equally impactful, notching 11 tackle points each and solidifying the team's growing reputation for toughness at the back.
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IMAGES from the WPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants in Bengaluru on Sunday.
In a big blow to the Gujarat Giants camp, skipper Beth Mooney was ruled out of the entire WPL season due to injury.
Mooney is one of the few batters in the Women's T20 to have scored more than one hundred, her highest score being an unbeaten 117.
Images from the WPL match between MI and Gujarat Giants.
Images from the WPL match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday
India batter Veda Krishnamurthy announced her retirement from international cricket on Friday.
Mumbai Indians will take confidence from their emphatic victory against Gujarat Giants in their penultimate league game on Monday.
Kevin O'Brien's century took the sheen off Ashley Nurse's fiery 43-ball 103 not out as Gujarat Giants opened their campaign with a three-wicket win over India Capitals in the Legends League Cricket in Kolkata on Saturday.
West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin has expressed disappointment at her exclusion from Women's Premier League franchise Gujarat Giants, terming it 'bewildering'.
Shafali Verma (44) and Jess Jonassen's (61 not out) fireworks underlined Delhi Capitals' complete domination as they crushed Gujarat Giants by six wickets.
Beth Mooney smashed an unbeaten 96 as a dominant Gujarat Giants thrashed UP Warriorz by 81 runs in a one-sided WPL 2025 match in Lucknow on Monday.https://www.rediff.com/cricket/special/can-india-win-the-champions-trophy/20250303.htm
Gujarat Giants handed Delhi Capitals an 11-run defeat to pick up only their second win of the inaugural season of the Women's Premier League.
The new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule was also seen in action across the two days, allowing teams to buy back their released players by matching the final auction bid price, for either one or two seasons.
MI will aim to seal their direct qualification to the final by finishing at the top when they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final league match on Tuesday.
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