WPL 2026: The Mumbai Indians blueprint: Experience, trust and a relentless winning culture

Mumbai Indians are arguably one of the best Twenty20 franchises in the world. More than their trophies, their ability to stay at the top through consistency and long-term planning sets them apart. MI have become a dominating force thanks to their ethos and the unwavering faith in their players.

The Mumbai outfit has been dominating the men’s Indian Premier League with five titles, two Champions League titles, ILT20 in the UAE, Major League Cricket, and the SA20 titles. Taking a leaf out of their successful model that made them a household name in IPL, the women’s team
claimed their second WPL trophy last season to become the first franchise in India to win both IPL and WPL titles, multiple times.

The success formula is to allow experienced players to take the lead. They also focus on curating and cultivating the next talented crop to set the platform for the future. Veteran skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will again be keen to lead the team to their third title. The new season begins at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, against former champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Strengths

The real strength of this franchise is its trust in its core players. They retained five players at the auction, ensuring continuity and cohesion for the new season. The team boasts the experience of Harmanpreet, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelie Kerr, and Amanjot Kaur. The team will rely heavily on these star players to stay in the hunt.
 
Harmanpreet, after achieving a historic double of winning the WPL and the 50-over World Cup for India last year, must have been even more confident and will be bolder in her approach to try out a few things if it doesn’t go her way.

The skipper is also in good touch with the bat, which should give the batting more depth and the freedom to go on the assault. The talented teenager Gunalan Kamalini, who made rapid strides in the last season after producing a match-winning knock against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has become a real threat to her rivals. 

Richer with experience after making her India debut against Sri Lanka during the five-match Twenty20 series, the Tamil Nadu batter will see an enhanced role as an opener to Matthews, and that move could add more depth to Mumbai’s batting. With England captain Scriver-Brunt, Harmanpreet, and Kerr to follow, the 17-year-old Kamalini will get the freedom to throw her bat around to give the defending champions a brisk start and produce more impactful performances this season.

Weaknesses

The pace bowling attack, barring the England skipper Sciver-Brunt and Shabnim Ismail, looks light on experience. Newly recruited Australian pacer Milly Illingworth could crank it up, but she is still untested at the top level, so that could be a disadvantage on the big stage.

Amanjot Kaur must have been richer with experience after being part of the triumphant Indian team in the World Cup, but still, the Punjab pacer doesn’t hold a great record in bowling, with just eight wickets in 17 T20I innings.

One big disadvantage Mumbai will face is the absence of the big-hitting South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who has joined RCB. Mumbai Indians will have to rely heavily on the spin of Kerr, Matthews, and skipper Harmanpreet to stem the tide. How the defending champions will control the first six overs will play a big role in their defence. However, the untested opener Kamilini could be one area where they might have to wait and watch as the season progresses.

Opportunities

Amelia Kerr will be the trump card for the Mumbai Indians this season. The New Zealand all-rounder, who was the player of the final in the 2024 World Cup against South Africa in Dubai 2024, begins the WPL as the leading wicket-taker in women’s Twenty20. 

The well-travelled leg-spinner has moved to the top with 390 wickets. The 25-year-old World Cup winner, who recently scored a Twenty20 century in the Women's Super Smash, has the chance to cement her place in the history books with another impressive performance in this year’s WPL.

Threats

The biggest threat to Mumbai Indians will be seeing how their new Head coach, Lisa Keightley, adapts to the challenge. She has big shoes to fill after taking over from Charlotte Edwards. The former Australia batter has a wealth of experience at the helm as an England coach in the international arena and franchises like Sydney Thunder and the recent champions Northern Superchargers. 

However, Keightley won’t have enough time to settle down and has to hit the ground running due to the demands of being the head coach of a successful franchise like the Mumbai Indians.