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The second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) is all set to start on February 23 (Friday) with the defending champions Mumbai Indians kicking off their campaign against last year's runners-up Delhi Capitals in the curtain raiser.
Like the inaugural edition of the tournament, the second edition also promises to be an exciting one with all five franchises boasting of some big names from international cricket.
Mumbai Indians began their WPL journey by winning the inaugural edition and will be hoping to continue their brilliant run in the second edition. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will be up against a well-oiled Delhi Capitals, captained by former Aussie skipper Meg Lanning.
The other teams- UP Warrioz, Gujarat Giants and the Royal Challengers Bangalore- also have some serious names in their ranks and will be hoping to make a significant impact. Alyssa Healy will be in charge of the UP Warriorz while star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana will be handling the duties of RCB.
The Bangalore-based franchise had a below-par outing in the first season but they do have a squad to turn it around. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Giants, who had a forgettable run in the opening season, would be hoping to turn things around. Captain Beth Mooney, who could only feature in a solitary game last season, will bolster the unit with her return.
Ahead of the season opener, let us have a look at 5 things to look forward to in the second season of the WPL:
# A vast pool of local players
The WPL opened doors for the local Indian players to rub shoulders with some of the best in the game. It was the performances of some young girls in the inaugural edition of the tournament that paved the way for their selection in the national team. Just like the opening year, we will witness another huge pool of local talents who will get an opportunity to showcase their skill at the highest level.
The talent scout followed the progress of the young girls very closely which prompted the Gujarat Giants to acquire the services of uncapped bowler Kashvee Gautam for a whopping Rs 2 crore. She won't be featuring in the tournament owing to an injury but it's enough to suggest that the franchises had a lookout for local talents in the past year.
# A new challenge in Bangalore and Delhi
Unlike the opening season of the tournament which was entirely held in Mumbai, with matches being played across three stadiums, the second edition will be hosted by the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The pitches in Bangalore and Delhi are expected to offer a different challenge for all five franchises.
While the Indian players have had the opportunity to play in both these stadiums before, it will be interesting to see how the newcomers and the foreign stars fare in the two stadiums. The first eleven matches of the competition will be held in Bengaluru before the carnival moves to Delhi on March 5.
# Can Royal Challengers Bangalore break their jinx of winning their inaugural trophy?
Like their male counterparts, it was a poor beginning for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Despite having a strong pool of players, RCB lost their first four matches and while they did end their campaign with a couple of wins, it wasn't enough to secure them a place in the next round. Over the years, we have witnessed the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Despite all their struggles during the first fifteen seasons of the tournament, they continue to have a strong fan base and their fans would be hoping that the women could turn their fortunes around which might as well inspire their male counterparts to turn things around in the upcoming IPL.
# Expecting a good response from the crowd
The inaugural edition of the tournament lived up to its expectations as people from Mumbai made it a memorable one with their continued presence throughout the tournament. As the tournament shifts to Bangalore and Delhi, it will be interesting to see the turnout of the fans in the second edition.
While there was a massive buzz among the crowd during the first half of the inaugural edition, the decibel levels went down considerably as the tournament progressed. A taste of South India for the first half and then North India for the second half will be a challenge for the players as well but as long as there is a good crowd to support them, they shouldn't mind.
# A plethora of stars across the globe will be on show in WPL
The introduction of WPL has been a massive boost for the financial stability of women players and the competition is also very strong here. A plethora of stars can be seen in action for the next twenty-two days as five teams fight it out for the coveted title.
Barring the champion Indian players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues among others, it will be interesting to see how the young foreigners get into their groove in a new environment. While we will witness several superstars in action, we could expect the emergence of a few more in the next three weeks.
