India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Mumbai Indians franchise in the inaugural edition of the WPL, set to begin on March 4 in Mumbai. Harmanpreet was not the most expensive player bought by Mumbai at the auction last month but she was expected to lead the side, which will feature other top international names such as Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr.
"As the national captain, she has led the Indian Women's team to some of their most exciting wins," Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani said in a statement. "And I am sure that with Charlotte [Edwards, head coach] and Jhulan's [Goswami, bowling coach and mentor ] support, she will inspire our MI women's team to play their best cricket, display a sense of pride, and bring even more glory to women in sports."
Mumbai had bought Harmanpreet for INR 1.8 crore (US$ 220,000 approx.), the third-most expensive for them after Nat's INR 3.2 crore ($390,000 approx.) and Pooja Vastrakar's 1.90 crore ($232,000 approx.).
Harmanpreet has led India to the knockouts in the last three T20 World Cups, including the final of the 2020 edition in Australia. In the recent T20 World Cup that finished in South Africa last month, India narrowly missed out on the final berth when they lost to eventual champions Australia by five runs after Harmanpreet's 52 off 34.
Harmanpreet is the only player in the world - in men's or women's cricket - to have played 150 T20Is, with her Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma, who leads Mumbai Indians in the IPL, second with 148 games to his name.
Harmanpreet will be in the team management with Edwards, Goswami, and batting coach Devika Palshikar. The squad also includes Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia and Amanjot Kaur as the other international India players.
Mumbai will take on Gujarat Giants in the WPL opener on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.