Harmanpreet, Mandhana return to DY Patil, on opposite sides this time

In its fourth season, the WPL now feels part of the system, shaping careers and standards in increasingly visible ways. Most notably, it played a part in India winning their first ODI World Cup last year. How 'bout that. Almost silly that there was a time when this idea struggled to get off the ground.

While rivalries are still taking shape in this five-team league, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru has all the ingredients of being the best one. Borrowing from its IPL counterpart, it pits two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, against each other. They are also the only teams to have lifted the trophy so far, with MI holding a slender 4-3 head-to-head advantage.

There is an extra layer of significance this time. Harmanpreet and Mandhana return to the venue where the defining night of their international careers played out two months ago. The DY Patil Stadium will stir fond memories not just for the two captains but also for the India players on both sides, even if the sea of MI blue in the stands is expected to outweigh RCB's red, black and gold. It was here that the duo shared an emotional hug after India clinched the World Cup, before circling the ground together, singing and dancing long into the night. On the eve of the WPL opener, both admitted those memories came flooding back as they walked into the stadium.

Harmanpreet has since spoken of the venue becoming a hub for women's cricket in India, a sentiment Mandhana echoed ahead of the season. "Whenever you enter the ground, you remember exactly where the last catch was taken," she said, recalling Harmanpreet's leap at extra cover to dismiss South Africa's Nadine de Klerk and seal the win in the final. "This is still just one-and-a-half months later, but even after 20 years, if we come back to this ground, we are still going to remember exactly what happened on November 2."

The friendship remains untouched but once the WPL begins, Harmanpreet said the focus will be on "how we can win against each other."

For defending champions MI, the template established in the inaugural season - continuity, role clarity, a strong core and enviable depth - continues to serve them well. Retaining five players ahead of the auction preserved the backbone of the batting, while the return of familiar faces ensured stability. While other teams opted for reshuffles, MI doubled down on their processes, backing experience, investing in youth and trusting a leadership group that has grown with the league.

RCB arrive with a sense of renewal after missing the knockouts last season. Mandhana remains the face of the team, supported by T20 firepower in Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk, though Ellyse Perry's withdrawal leaves questions at the top. Their bowling, however, looks formidable, with pace from Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar and de Klerk, and spin options in Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil and Harris.

G Kamalini, 17, was retained by MI ahead of the auction alongside players like Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Amanjot, which is an indicator of how highly she is rated. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter with the ability to go big, Kamalini offers flexibility in the line-up. She made her WPL debut last season and announced herself in just her second game, against RCB, holding her nerve to seal a last-over victory. She continued to impress in the domestic circuit, which earned her a maiden India call-up late last year for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where she made her international debut. Captain Harmanpreet indicated ahead of this season that Kamalini would be given a "special role", suggesting a move up the order, and said she expects the teenager to be one of the "main players" in the team.

After missing WPL 2025 and spending more than a year sidelined by a series of injuries, spin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil returns to the tournament that launched her into prominence. She was just 20 when she debuted for RCB in 2023, and her rise was swift, with India T20I and ODI caps following later that year. Patil enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024, finishing as the tournament's leading wicket-taker as RCB went on to lift their maiden title. She made her return from injury at the Women's CPL last September, featured in the domestic season for Karnataka, and was one of four players retained by RCB ahead of the auction. In the lead-up to the season, Patil has focused on fine-tuning her offspin, batting and overall fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the private academy where she trains.

With Perry, who batted at No. 3, pulling out of the season, RCB are likely to have Voll open alongside Mandhana, with D Hemalatha or Gautami Naik playing at No. 3. It remains to be seen whether Vastrakar, who's under an injury cloud, is available for selection.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Georgia Voll, 3 D Hemalatha/Gautami Naik, 4 Grace Harris, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Nadine de Klerk, 7 Pooja Vastrakar/ Sayali Satghare, 8 Radha Yadav, 9 Shreyanka Patil, 10 Arundhati Reddy, 11 Lauren Bell

MI have a settled XI, with Kamalini expected to open alongside Matthews.

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 G Kamalini (wk), 2 Hayley Matthews, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 Poonam Khemnar, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Saika Ishaque

Conditions in Navi Mumbai are likely to favour the batters, with dew possibly coming into play in the second half. The surface also offers some early movement for fast bowlers. Only three of the 11 WPL matches at DY Patil have been won by teams batting first. The average first-innings score here in T20s since 2024 is 169.

"It's always exciting to see talents coming up in WPL, so I would never say that the doors are always closed and no one's going to get anything out of this. I'm sure if there's an exciting talent and someone has got an extraordinary season, there will be a chance for the T20 World Cup."
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana on how WPL performance can help India players can still stake claim in the T20WC squad

"I think as a batter I want to bat freely because this is the only platform where I don't put a lot of pressure on me because this is something where I can execute myself however I want. It's a very important tournament for me and I just want to contribute for my team as much as I can."
Harmanpreet Kaur on her expectations from this WPL season