The Women’s Premier League 2023 has started with great enthusiasm, with fans enjoying thrilling cricket action. The tournament’s first week witnessed many records being made and broken, and the competition has been intense since then.

The inaugural match of the tournament saw Mumbai Indians and Beth Mooney-led team face off, with Mumbai Indians posting over 200 runs. However, Harmanpreet Kaur-led side emerged victorious, beating Bangalore-based franchise by a huge 143-run margin. In the second match, Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals surpassed Mumbai Indians’ score by posting 223 runs, while Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore could only manage 163 runs in response.

After the very first game, Meg Lanning has been leading her side from the front and has emerged as the leading run-scorer of the tournament, holding the Orange cap for being the top run-scorer with 206 runs in four games, including two half-centuries. Hayley Matthews of Mumbai has given Lanning a tough fight, scoring crucial runs for her side while opening the innings alongside Shafali Verma. So far, Matthews has scored 150 runs in four games at an average of 37.50 and chipped in with four wickets at an economy rate of 6.36. Smriti Mandhana has been the standout performer for RCB, scoring 121 runs in three games at an average of 40.33 and picking up two wickets at an economy rate of 6.11.

On the wicket-taking front, Mumbai Indians’ Saika Ishaque has taken the tournament by storm. The 27-year-old from Kolkata registered figures of 4/11 in the first game of the tournament, making her WPL entry in style. Since then, she has not gone wicketless in any of the four games that Mumbai have played so far. Thus, with 12 wickets from four games, Ishaque currently holds the Purple cap for being the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Ishaque picked up two wickets against RCB while conceding 26 runs. In the third game against the high-flying Delhi Capitals, Ishaque’s 3/13 helped Mumbai continue their winning run and put a halt to DC’s winning streak. In the most recent game against UP Warriorz, Saika picked up three wickets while giving away 33 runs, which helped her side restrict the opponents to a low total.Apart from Lanning and Ishaque, there have been several other standout performers in the tournament so far.

The Women’s Premier League 2023 has been a great showcase of talent and skill, and has provided an excellent platform for women’s cricket in India. The tournament has seen some exceptional individual performances, and it is still early days in the tournament. Fans can expect more thrilling cricket action as the competition progresses.

The Women’s Premier League is a T20 cricket league in India for women, launched by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The first season of the Women’s T20 Challenge was held in 2018, which was later renamed the Women’s IPL. The tournament was held in Sharjah, UAE, in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season was held in India, and four teams participated in the tournament.

The Women’s Premier League 2023 has seen an increase in the number of teams, with six teams participating in the tournament. The teams are Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, UP Warriorz, Delhi Capitals, Jaipur Pink Panthers, and Jio Haryana Hurricanes. The league aims to provide a platform for women’s cricket in India and encourage young girls to take up the sport.