The Mumbai Indians (MI) will once again enter the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 as heavy favorites. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side went heavy for bringing back Amelia Kerr at the WPL 2026 mega auction. That formed their trusted core back, with Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt and captain Harmanpreet at the top of the order.
After becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win an ICC World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur would be loving her time as a skipper even more. She’d be more fearless and composed at WPL 2026 this time around and this would give MI an edge over the others.
Mumbai Indians’ strongest playing XI
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayley Matthews ✈️ | All-rounder |
| 2 | G Kamalini | Keeper |
| 3 | Nat Sciver-Brunt ✈️ | All-rounder |
| 4 | Harmanpreet Kaur | Batter (C) |
| 5 | Amelia Kerr ✈️ | All-rounder |
| 6 | Amanjot Kaur | All-rounder |
| 7 | Sajeevan Sajana | Batter |
| 8 | Poonam Khemnar | Bowling all-rounder |
| 9 | Sanskriti Gupta | Bowler |
| 10 | Saika Ishaque | Bowler |
| 11 | Shabnim Ismail✈️ | Bowler |
Mumbai Indians will be having a new opening pair this time around with Yastika Bhatia going to the Gujarat Giants. G Kamilini, who was retained by MI, will replace her and would partner Hayley Matthews.
Kamalini became the youngest player to be signed in WPL history when the Mumbai Indians acquired her for a staggering INR 1.6 crore in the 2025 auction, and subsequently the youngest player to debut in the league at 16 years old. She has now even made her international debut as well and would be buzzing to give a superb WPL campaign. Matthews, meanwhile, is the leading wicket-taker for MI and is a powerhouse up top.
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur follow and they are the engine of this batting unit. Brunt has scored 1027 runs at 46.6 for MI and is the leading run-getter. Harmanpreet, meanwhile, will be fearlessly. Amanjot Kaur dropped a superlative Women’s ODI World Cup as well and will be a great batting option in the finishing role alongside Sajeevan Sajana. Sajana’s SR of 145 is the best among MI batters with a minimum of 100 runs. Before them would come Amelia Kerr, who was took the Purple cap last season.
Bowling a concern for MI?
While in Hayley, Brunt and Kerr, MI have three superb bowling options, there might be inexperience in the spin department. Poonam Khemnar and Sanskriti Gupta offer newness here for MI.
Khemnar holds the record for Nagaland’s first domestic century, having scored over 1,200 runs with an average of 27.75 in her overall T20 career. She has also picked up 34 T20 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.74.
Gupta, meanwhile, vital part of Madhya Pradesh’s 2024 domestic ODI title win. The 21-year-old left-handed batter has an overall T20 strike rate of 123.08 and has taken 12 wickets in 21 matches with her right-arm off-break bowling.
Shabnim Ismail and Saika Ishaque are key bowlers for the Mumbai Indians, with both players recently re-signed during the WPL 2026 mega auction to retain the team’s core winning squad. Shabnim is widely regarded as one of the fastest female bowlers in the world and currently holds the record for the fastest delivery ever recorded in women’s cricket history at 132.1 kph during the 2024 WPL season.
Saika became revelation for the Mumbai Indians since the inaugural WPL season. Her career took off after finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2023 WPL season with 15 wickets in 10 matches, which earned her a spot in the Indian national team later that year.
Mumbai Indians full WPL 2026 squad
Amelia Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Nicola Carey, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha, Sanskriti Gupta, Nalla Reddy, Rahila Firdous, Poonam Khemnar, Milly Illingworth, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini
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