WPL 2024: Mumbai Indians set to begin practice in a bid to defend their title

Mumbai Indians won the inaugural season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) last year under the inspirational captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur. They have bolstered their squad with some impressive additions in the players' auction and will be eager to defend their title this year.

Mumbai will face Delhi Capitals in the first match of WPL 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on February 23. This will be a repeat of last year's final, where Mumbai emerged victorious by seven wickets.

Ahead of the second season of the high-voltage franchise league, several Mumbai Indians players and coaching staff arrived for the pre-season training in a bid to retain the title. Team manager - Trupti Bhattacharya, strength and conditioning coach - Stacey-Lee Hercules, general manager for cricket operations - Kiran More, data analyst - Benjamin Hoppitt, physiotherapist - Elyse Potter, fielding coach - Lydia Greenway, batting coach - Devieka Palshikaar, team mentor and bowling coach - Jhulan Goswami, and head coach Charlotte Edwards have all assembled ahead of the preparatory camp.

Among the players, Jintimani Kalita, who displayed tremendous form in the domestic season, Saika Ishaque, who has now represented India, Fatima Jaffer, S Sajana, and B Keerthana, who are the new joinees, and the experienced Amanjot Kaur have all checked in.

The marquee tournament will be jointly hosted by Bengaluru and Delhi. The five teams, who competed last year, will be back in action. All matches until March 4 will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium before the remaining matches will be hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

A total of 22 matches will be played, including the eliminator and the summit clash. There are no double-headers in store for the fans, as all the matches will begin at 7:30 PM IST. The final will be held on March 17.

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