Charlotte Edwards to coach Mumbai's WPL team

Former England captain Charlotte Edwards has been appointed head coach of the Mumbai franchise in the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Edwards will be part of an all-woman coaching staff that also includes former India captain Jhulan Goswami, who will be mentor and bowling coach of the franchise that was bought by owners of the Mumbai Indians. Devika Palshikar, the former India allrounder, has been named batting coach.

"I am looking forward to working with Jhulan [and] Devika. We will work closely together to understand the MI culture, the ethos and playing the MI way," Edwards said in a statement. "We want players to perform to their potential and also give them a platform to develop and succeed, something Mumbai Indians are known for. I can't wait to get started."

"Really looking forward to working with the girls, with Charlotte and Devika by my side," Goswami said. "MI has always had a winning mentality and we will be looking to carry on that legacy."

Edwards, the second-highest run-getter in both women's ODIs and women's Tests, has racked up significant coaching experience since her retirement from professional cricket in 2017. She has been head coach at English domestic team Southern Vipers, Southern Brave (the Hundred), and Sydney Sixers in the WBBL. At international level, she's done some coaching with the USA women's teams.

In 2009, Edwards was awarded an MBE for leading England to the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup title. In the same year, she was also the captain of the ODI World Cup-winning England team. In her nearly two-decade-long career, she was part of five Ashes-winning squads, including being captain of two back-to-back triumphs in 2013. Since her international retirement, Edwards has been at the forefront of change in the women's game, taking seats on various committees with MCC and ICC.

"It is wonderful to see more and more women in sport, excelling not just as players, but also as coaches, administrators, and support staff," team owner Nita Ambani said in a statement. "This is an exciting time for women's sport in India."

Palshikar was India's assistant coach between 2014 and 2016, before taking up a similar role with Bangladesh. She was part of the coaching staff of the Bangladesh squad that was crowned Asia Cup champions in 2018. She played one Test and 15 ODIs in a brief international career between 2006 and 2008.

Edwards and Goswami will be part of the Mumbai delegation at the WPL auction on February 13 in Mumbai. A maximum of 90 players are expected to be sold during the day-long auction, which has been delayed due to several of the five WPL franchises also having teams in the ILT20 and SA20 tournaments, which will end on the weekend of February 11-12.

Each team will have a purse of INR 12 crore (US$ 1.46 million approx.) for the inaugural season. Each team can buy a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 players, with seven overseas players including an Associate player. Unlike in the men's IPL, WPL teams will have the option of fielding up to five overseas players in the XI, provided one is from an Associate country.

A total of 22 matches will be played in the inaugural WPL season, with each team playing the other twice to make it a total of eight games per team. The top-ranked team will enter the final directly, while the second and third-placed teams will face off in a Qualifier to determine the second finalist.