2024 WPL Schedule & History - Complete guide

The tournament will feature five franchises, including Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz. Below, we see the order of play with a reflection of what happened in these fixtures last year.

The first match is not just a repeat of last year’s final but also a repeat of the time these two teams clashed in the 18th match of the double round-robin phase. In that match, the Capitals beat the Indians by nine wickets. Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, and Shikha Pandey clinched two wickets each to restrict Mumbai Indians to 109 runs. In the second innings, Alice Capsey and Shafali Verma got quick runs on the board and chased the small target down.

Royal Challengers Bangalore will be desperate for redemption after a poor performance last season. When they met UP Warriorz in the eighth match last season, they were decimated by the Warriorz. Deepti Sharma picked up three wickets, while Sophie Ecclestone claimed four to restrict the Royal Challengers to 138. Warriorz’s skipper, Alyssa Healy blitzed to 96 runs off 47 deliveries and guided her side to a ten-wicket victory. 

This was the opening match of the inaugural edition of the WPL and there was no shortage of entertainment in it. Mumbai Indians were at the crease first and posted a target of 207 runs thanks to splendid performances by Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 65 runs in 30 balls. In the second innings, Saika Ishaque caught the Giants on the wrong foot and dismissed four players as the team was eventually restricted to 64/9.

This encounter was the final match of the group phase, and the Capitals confirmed their presence in the final after beating UP Warriorz by five wickets and climbing up to the top of the table. Capsey shone brightly in this encounter as the all-rounder did all the right things with the bat and the ball. In the first innings, she clinched three wickets that helped her team restrict UP Warriorz to 138. She then contributed 34 runs as the Capitals won with 13 balls to spare.

Royal Challengers Bangalore had something to rejoice in this encounter as they registered a rare win in the tournament. In the first innings, the Giants played well and posted an impressive target of 188 runs. Then Sophie Devine arrived at the crease and played a sensational knock of 99 runs off 36 deliveries to guide the Royal Challengers to a stunning eight-wicket win that moved them up to fourth in the table.

In the WPL 2023 Match 15, Mumbai Indians’ winning streak was brought to an abrupt end by the mercurial UP Warriorz. Ecclestone was at it again, this time with the ball and the bat. She claimed three wickets and helped her side restrict the Indians to 127 runs. Grace Harris scored 39 off 28, with Tahlia McGrath contributing 38 runs off 25 balls. Towards the end, Ecclestone scored 16 runs that helped the Warriorz end the Indians’ five-match winning streak.

The Verma-Lanning duo had a partnership of 154 runs, with the former scoring 84 and the latter accumulating 72, as the Capitals posted a daunting target of 223 for the Royal Challengers. The chase was never going to be easy, and the Capitals’ seamer Tara Norris made matters worse for the Challengers. The US bowler secured the tournament’s first five-haul as she finished with a bowling figure of 5/29 and helped the Capitals clinch a 60-run victory.

The third match of the WPL 2023 was a close affair between the Warriorz and the Giants. Batting first, the Gujarat Giants posted a decent target of 170. Chasing the target, the Warriorz were in trouble during the Powerplay as Kim Garth picked up three crucial wickets in the third over. However, Grace Harris’ 59-run stint, coupled with Kiran Navgire’s 43-ball 53, ensured that the Warriorz limped to a three-wicket victory over the Giants.

A stellar performance with the ball saw the Mumbai Indians’ bowling department restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 125. Amelia Kerr led the charge and picked up three crucial wickets. Chasing the attainable target, the Indians struggled, but Yastika Bhatia stabilized the situation with a composed knock of 30 runs from 26 deliveries. Kerr made a contribution with the bat too, and she remained at the crease till the end, scoring 31 off 27, giving the Indians a crucial win.

Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey decimated the Gujarat Giants’ batting order, as the former picked up five wickets and the latter clinched three to restrict the Giants to 105. The Capitals wasted no time in the second innings and finished the match in just 7.1 overs. Shafali Verma was the star of the second innings after she remained at the crease till the end with a run tally of 76 scored off just 28 balls.

This fixture was the 13th match of the WPL 2023 edition and was quite dramatic. The Challengers were excellent with the ball as the Warriorz were dismissed for 135. Ellyse Perry led the charge as she picked three wickets, with Sophie Devine and Shibana Asha picking up two each. Kanika Ahuja played a very composed inning at the crease and scored 46 runs off 30 balls. Her calm and effective performance gave the Challengers a win with 12 balls to spare. 

This was the first meeting of the eventual finalists last year. However, the outcome of the match remained the same. Under the floodlights, the Mumbai Indians’ players showcased their excellence as they dismissed the entire Capitals’ batting lineup at 102. Issy Wong, Hayley Matthews, and Sara Ishaque scalped three wickets each in the first innings. Yastika Bhatia led the chase with Matthews, forming a 65-run partnership and winning by eight wickets.

Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the bottom-dwellers last season, with both sides winning just two games in the entire tournament. In this encounter, the Giants reigned supreme and earned their first points of the WPL. Harleen Deol scored 67 off 45 and received help from Sophia Dunkley to post a target of 202. Ashleigh Gardner picked up three crucial wickets in the second innings as the Giants won by just 11 runs.

By the tenth match of the WPL 2023 season, Mumbai Indians had gained a lot of momentum, and it was impossible to stop them. UP Warriorz tried to do that but went down to the eventual champions. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten half-century, with Nat Sciver-Brunt and Yastika Bhatia chipping in with an aggregate score of 87 before Saika Ishaque picked up three wickets to help the Indians breeze past the Warriorz with an eight-wicket win.

The Capitals’ skipper, Meg Lanning, scored 70 off 42 deliveries before Jess Jonassen and Jemimah Rodrigues chipped in with an unbeaten partnership of 67 runs to help their side post a target of 212 runs. Chasing the daunting target, Tahlia McGrath scored 90 off 50 balls but it was not enough as Jonassen shone with the ball to pick up three wickets, and the Warriorz were ultimately handed a loss by 42 runs.

In the 12th match of the WPL 2023 season, the favorites Mumbai Indians locked horns with the underdogs Gujarat Giants. It was an incredibly one-sided affair as the Indians batted first and set a decent target of 163, courtesy of a half-century from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and a stellar opening knock from Yastika Bhatia. In the second innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews picked up three wickets each to halt the Giants at just 107 runs.

The Challengers batted first in this encounter and put 150 runs on the board, setting the stage for what was going to be a thrilling chase. The target would have been higher had Shikha Pandey not taken the three crucial wickets. The Capitals relied entirely on their middle order for this chase. Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, and Jess Jonassen contributed precious runs to help them secure a six-wicket win. 

The 17th match of the 2023 campaign was a crucial one for UP Warriorz. Victory in this encounter would help them secure playoff qualification. The Giants posted a challenging target of 179. Grace Harris scored 72 runs off 41 deliveries and Tahlia McGrath supported her by scoring 57 runs off 38 balls as UP Warriorz won by three wickets with just one ball to spare. Sophie Ecclestone’s all-round performance was also a key highlight.

This was the fourth match in the last campaign, and Mumbai Indians dominated this encounter. An all-round performance from Hayley Matthews was the highlight of the match in which the Indians won by nine wickets. Matthews scored an unbeaten 77 off 38 deliveries, and Nat Sciver-Brunt smashed 55 off 29 as they chased a target of 155. Matthews also picked up three wickets in the first innings.

This encounter was one of the upsets of the tournament last year as the Gujarat Giants shocked the Delhi Capitals after registering an 11-run victory. Laura Wolvaardt scored 57 runs off 45 balls, with Ashleigh Gardner chipping in with an unbeaten knock of 51 runs off 33 deliveries as the Giants posted a target of 148. Five Gujarat Giants bowlers picked up a wicket, and a team effort helped them restrict the Capitals to 136.