WPL in numbers - DC boss the powerplay, spinners star at the death

What's a good powerplay score in T20 cricket? Who has the best economy rate in the death overs? Which batter hits sixes most often? Even casual fans can tell you the answers when the questions relate to men's cricket. But when it comes to women's cricket, most have to pause and think.

With WPL 2026 around the corner, let's find out which players have excelled in which roles in the tournament, and which team holds what advantage.

Across three WPL seasons so far, the average scoring rate in the powerplay is 7.44, which translates to about 45 runs in six overs. Surprisingly, for four of the five teams, this is the slowest phase of the innings. (Women's T20Is show the same trend.) The only exception is Delhi Capitals, who have cruised at 8.53 and have also lost the fewest wickets (26).

The credit for DC's success goes to Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning, their opening pair until last season. The average opener in the WPL has an average of 27.23 and a strike rate of 122.19 in the powerplay. Among those who have opened at least five times, Shafali is the only one who exceeds both those marks, and she does so comfortably, with an average of 44.07 and a strike rate of 157.85.

Lanning was more of an anchor, especially in the last two seasons. DC released her before the 2026 auction and signed Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee as her potential replacements. Wolvaardt is similar to Lanning, while Lee can be as destructive as Shafali.

Lee has not played in the WPL so far. But she comes in having averaged 38.37 at a strike rate of 151.84 over the last three WBBL seasons. DC could become even more destructive.

Shafali has also hit the most sixes in the WPL: 49. But when it comes to frequency, Chinelle Henry has outshone her. In bad news for the other teams, she too is with DC now.

Henry started her WPL career last season. Playing for UP Warriorz, she hit a six every 5.5 balls. Shafali is second at 10.7 (minimum ten sixes). Lee, meanwhile, has the most sixes (47) in the last three WBBL seasons, clearing the boundary every 15.6 balls.

Gujarat Giants' Beth Mooney is one of the best batters around and has a healthy strike rate of 133.84 in the WPL. But when you peel back a layer, an interesting pattern emerges. Mooney has struck at 104.41 in the powerplay, 159.23 in the middle overs and 203.44 at the death.

Most top batters follow a similar pattern but Mooney's starts have been exceptionally slow. With no one to complement her at the top, GG have suffered. They have the worst scoring rate (6.61) in the powerplay and have also lost the most wickets (51). They have tried to address this by signing Sophie Devine, who has a powerplay strike rate of 137.83 as an opener in the WPL.

GG's struggles, though, don't end there. In the death overs (17-20), WPL teams have scored at a rate of 9.66 (39 runs) on average; GG have crawled at 8.91. This despite their captain Ashleigh Gardner having a strike rate of 207.01 in this phase. Even with Georgia Wareham around this time, GG's lower order lacks power.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been the best batting team in the death overs. Thanks to Richa Ghosh, they have scored at 10.19 in this phase. They have also signed Nadine de Klerk this year. De Klerk has played only one WPL game so far, and has a T20I strike rate of 106.89, but she has improved her power game lately. In the recent WBBL, she struck at 147.66.

Among those who have scored at least 50 runs at the death in the WPL, Grace Harris has the best strike rate (285.18). She too is with RCB this time. But she may bat in the top order in Ellyse Perry's absence, which she is equally good at.

DC's Marizanne Kapp is the gold standard for bowlers. She has an economy rate of 5.62 in the powerplay and 5.51 in the middle overs. Among those who have bowled at least eight overs in each phase, she is the only one to concede less than a run a ball in both. Kapp also has the most wickets (21) in the powerplay. However, with Shikha Pandey not with Capitals anymore and Annabel Sutherland pulling out, she will have to shoulder even more responsibility.

UPW's Sophie Ecclestone has picked up only four wickets in the powerplay but her economy of 5.18 is the best in the phase (minimum eight overs). Kashvee Gautam of GG and Henry are the others with a sub-six economy in the first six.

In men's T20 cricket, spinners don't bowl much at the death. In IPL 2025, fast bowlers bowled 81.3% of the overs at the death, and spinners only 18.7%. But things are different in the WPL: fast bowlers have bowled 39% of the death overs and spinners 61%.

Not just that, the spinners also have a better economy rate in this phase (9.11) compared to the seamers (10.51). In fact, in the list of most economical death bowlers, eight out of the top ten are spinners (minimum eight overs). Even Kapp, who bosses the other two phases, has bowled just five overs at the death with an economy rate of 11.20.

Sophie Molineux, who is not part of the 2026 season, leads the way at 7.20. Mumbai Indians' Saika Ishaque and RCB's Shreyanka Patil have also gone for less than eight. There are two more MI bowlers in the top six, Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt, making them the most frugal side in the death overs. They have conceded 8.68 an over; RCB are the next best at 9.23. GG are the most expensive at 11.39, the only ones to go at above ten. It could be one of their concerns this time too.

Deepti Sharma is one of the rare spinners who has leaked runs at the death. She has gone at 11.04 in her 27.2 overs. UPW could limit her to the powerplay and the middle overs, where she has economy rates of 6.81 and 7.26, respectively, and use Ecclestone and new recruit Pandey at the death.