Mumbai – Harmanpreet Kaur’s ambitions for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) have not eased since lifting India’s maiden World Cup last year. The all-rounder again spoke of leaving behind a “winning mindset”, insisting that merely turning up no longer cuts it.
“Wherever I go, I want to see people only think about how we can win. Participation – we have been doing for so many years, but that doesn’t change anything,” she said during Mumbai Indians’ pre-tournament media call. “But if you go with a winning mindset and work towards that, it can bring a lot of things to you and your country.”
Mumbai Indians (MI) already own two titles from the league’s first three seasons and, on paper, appear well placed for a third in four. Harmanpreet credits the franchise for sharpening her approach. “WPL has made a lot of changes in me, especially in thinking,” she noted. “Before that, there were some limitations. MI have been winning IPL titles for so many years. When I came here at MI and was sitting with them, they were always thinking about what best we can do to beat any team and win the title. Their thought process changed me and wherever I went, I thought about how I can change the mindset. We can only think about what we can win. That reflected in the last few years.”
A new coach, familiar faces
Continuity behind the scenes has long been an MI trademark, although Charlotte Edwards’ appointment as England head coach forced a shuffle. In comes Lisa Keightley, previously Delhi Capitals’ assistant, to oversee an all-female support team: mentor and bowling coach Jhulan Goswami, batting coach Devika Palshikar, fielding coach Nicole Bolton and spin specialist Kristen Beams.
“There are so many more opportunities to coach; to come out as a player and have those opportunities [is great],” Keightley said. “We’ll see a lot more players get into coaching the franchise teams and hopefully, one day, we will have a female coach coaching India, which would be exciting and would be a huge growth of the game.”
The Australian’s coaching résumé is deep. A two-time World Cup-winning player (1997, 2005), she became the first woman to lead Australia’s national side in 2007-08, ran England from 2019-22, and has guided teams in the WBBL and The Hundred. For all that experience, she still sounded genuinely pleased by her current surroundings. “I have been coaching elite sport and elite teams now for 20 years. Now that we are getting into so many franchises, it’s really exciting for me to be able to be involved in those and be a head coach around the world,” she explained. “In my last 20 years, I have never had a full-female coaching panel, which is really exciting and something different for me. That’s also great for our players to see. I am a big believer in if you can’t see it you can’t be it. I’d love to see it more often. In the next ten years you will see that.”
Domestic depth the next frontier
Keightley emphasised working closely with uncapped Indian players, those who tend to train all year yet seldom see competitive action. “The challenge is making sure our local talent feel part of the XI, not just net bowlers,” she told reporters afterwards. Early noise from training suggests 19-year-old seamer Sailee Santre and off-spinner Shabnam Shinde may push senior pros for minutes.
MI’s squad, though, remains anchored by big-game performers: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and fast-bowler Issy Wong return, while the uncapped group fights for limited spots. Expect healthy rotation during the compressed league stage – a point Harmanpreet was keen to underline. “We’ve been very open in our meetings: whoever is in form plays. Names don’t count when the fixtures come thick and fast.”
Fine margins at the top
Of the rivals, Delhi Capitals again shape as the primary threat. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s off-season recruitment also impressed neutral observers, but both sides must prove they can close out the crunch moments against MI – something neither managed last term.
Even so, Keightley refused to presume superiority. “History doesn’t bowl the first over,” she shrugged. Her immediate focus is ensuring MI start sharply; the defending champions open against Gujarat Giants on Friday, a fixture that tripped them up two seasons ago.
Legacy in sight
For Harmanpreet, another winners’ medal would underline the importance of collective mentality as much as individual skill. She returned to that theme more than once: “We can only think about what we can win.” A third title would serve as compelling evidence that MI’s methods – and indeed her own – continue to work.
Plenty can still go wrong across five frantic weeks, and the skipper is the first to admit it. Yet, between her steadfast approach and Keightley’s steadied hand, Mumbai Indians look as prepared as any side can be.
