Everything is set, players are retained, teams have their core intact, and now it’s time to fill the remaining spots. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is gearing up for an exciting WPL 2025 player auction on December 15, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that 120 players will go under the hammer. For the Mumbai Indians (MI), the inaugural champions of the league, they retained most of their core, including skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. However, their biggest release for indeed England star Issy Wong. Incredibly, she missed the WPL auction player list as well.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has been consistent across both the editions. They were crowned the winners in 2023, beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 7 wickets in the final to lift the title. The side had secured 6 victories from 8 matches in the league stage and had finished second on the points table. This year, however, they did finish second on the table but were knocked out by eventual winners RCB in the knockouts.
Mumbai Indians at WPL 2025: Core players retained ft. Amelia Kerr
Being one of the best teams at the WPL, the Mumbai Indians are bound to have a strong core unit. Their top order is packed. Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Yastika Bhatia were amazing. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, and Sajeevan Sajana share the middle-order duties quite well.
Among bowlers, Pooja Vastrakar and Saika Ishaque are certainties. Last year, they signed Shabnim Ismail for INR 1.2 crore. The teeraway pacer took 8 wickets in 7 WPL games. Amanjot Kaur and Amandeep Kaur add valuable backups too. Incredibly for MI, they have one of the leading Indian wicketkeepers in Yastika Bhatia.
Mumbai Indians at WPL 2025: Gaps remaining to fill before auction
Despite having a strong core, the Mumbai Indians still have some tweaks to make. After releasing four players, the MI women’s team is left with a purse of only Rs 2.65 crore, the second-lowest after the Delhi Capitals (Rs 2.5 crore). Hence, they would be needing to sign some key players at frugal rates.
Yes, the opening partnership of Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews has been great for MIW; we have added another opening option. This is due to the fact that Yastika can then add her experience in the middle-order. For that, youngster Nandini Kashyap could be an ideal pick. She not only doubles up as a keeper option; the Uttarakhand-born has been in tremendous form recently. In the Senior Womens T20 Challenger Trophy last month, Kashyap ended as the highest run-getter with 332 runs at an incredible average and SR of 83.00 and 137.19, respectively. In the Senior Womens T20 Trophy prior to that, she hammered an unbeaten 117 off 61 balls.
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A blockbuster signing for MI could be Lauren Bell. She is in the number one position on the WPL auction list. Yes, MIW have Shabnim Ismail, but she is 36 years of age now. Bell could be a superb pace bowling option too. In fact, in the last two years, she is one of the leading wicket-takers in Women’s T20s, taking 64 wickets at a great average of 19.00 and at an economy of 7.25.
Adding another spin bowling option is Jagravi Pawar, who has done quite well in the domestic circuit as well. In the recent Senior Womens T20 Trophy, the off-spinner from Mumbai took 16 wickets at an immaculate average and economy of 10.68 and 4.02, respectively.
Dream XI for MI at IPL 2025 Auction
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hayley Matthews (O) |
| 2 | Nandini Kashyap |
| 3 | Nat Sciver-Brunt (O) |
| 4 | Harmanpreet Kaur |
| 5 | Amelia Kerr (O) |
| 6 | Yastika Bhatia (wk) |
| 7 | S Sajana |
| 8 | Pooja Vastrakar |
| 9 | Jagravi Pawar |
| 10 | Lauran Bell (O) |
| 11 | Saika Ishaque |
Mumbai Indians at WPL: Retained players
| First Name | Last Name | Role |
| Harmanpreet | Kaur | Batter |
| Amandeep | Kaur | All-Rounder |
| Amanjot | Kaur | All-Rounder |
| Amelia | Kerr | All-Rounder |
| Chloe | Tryon | All-Rounder |
| Hayley | Matthews | All-Rounder |
| Jintimani | Kalita | All-Rounder |
| Keerthana | Balakrishnan | All-Rounder |
| Natalie | Sciver-Brunt | All-Rounder |
| Pooja | Vastrakar | All-Rounder |
| Saika | Ishaque | Bowler |
| Sajana | Sajeevan | All-Rounder |
| Shabnim | Ismail | Bowler |
| Yastika | Bhatia | Wicket Keeper |
Mumbai Indians at WPL: Released players
| First Name | Last Name | Role |
| Priyanka | Bala | Batter |
| Humairaa | Kaazi | All-rounder |
| Fatima | Jaffer | Bowler |
| Isabelle | Wong | Bowler |
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