 "Exclusive | Why Anjum Chopra believes WPL 2026 won’t be Mumbai Indians’ walkover")
Every single cricketer who plays for her or his country, and even those who aspire to don the national colours someday, dreams of lifting a World Cup trophy. When the Indian women’s cricket team won the ICC ODI World Cup trophy in November last year, it wasn’t just the group of 16 cricketers who represented India at that tournament who became World champions. Technically, yes, their names were jotted down as the winners, but the trophy belonged as much to Harmanpreet Kaur and her team as it did to all the former players who paved the way for this team to achieve greatness. Indian women’s cricket has been fortunate to have many torchbearers who have shown the way for the future generations and helped mould them into world beaters.
One such torchbearer is former India captain, Anjum Chopra, who will always remain one of the biggest champions of Indian sport. Anjum, who played 12 Tests, 127 ODIs and 18 T20Is for India, came very close to winning the World Cup in 2005, when India faltered at the last hurdle, in the final against Australia in South Africa.
Needless to say, that the 2025 World Cup win, which saw Anjum and other former cricketers joining Harmanpreet and co. in a jubilant victory lap after the triumph over South Africa in the final, was also a recognition of the building blocks put in place by her and other stalwarts of Indian women’s cricket over the years. It’s not surprising therefore to hear Anjum say – “It’s a World Cup trophy that belongs to me.” The dream has been realised. It’s reality now. India are world champions.
The World Cup win was a huge watershed moment for Indian women’s cricket and it’s heartening to see the women’s game improve by leaps and bounds in the country. There is still a lot to be done, but the success of a tournament like the Women’s Premier League, which sees participation from the very best of cricketing talent from across the world, is a reminder that things are heading in the right direction. It’s now about making sure that the momentum doesn’t die out. The 5-0 series win against Sri Lanka in the recent T20I series showed that the Indian players will not let that happen.
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View AllWith the next edition of the WPL now around the corner, Anjum spoke to Firstpost in an exclusive interview on what we can expect from the 2026 season, the big challenges for the most successful team so far – the Mumbai Indians which is led by Harmanpreet, the team she feels is the one to beat this season, after the mega auction reshaped all five squads – some more than the others, Harmanpreet’s captaincy, the World Cup win last year and more.
This is part one of the interview.
Firstpost: The Women’s ODI World Cup win last year was of course a huge moment in Indian women’s cricket, a true watershed moment. That must have been a very emotional time for someone like you - who gave everything you had to the sport and played such a big role in building Indian women’s cricket over so many years. I didn’t get the chance to talk to you after that big win. Absolutely packed stadiums for the matches, for one, was a fantastic sight of course. What kind of an impact do you think that title win in particular will have on the women’s game in India?
Anjum Chopra: The impact can be seen in the reach of women’s cricket. I don’t want to compare with anyone else winning a trophy or a medal, but we idolise champions. Whether it’s a Neeraj Chopra or a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma or a Manu Bhaker – we only identify and remember champions. Women’s cricket has had this big moment also, where now people (in India) don’t just know about Smriti Mandhana or Jemimah (Rodrigues) or Harmanpreet (Kaur). People (now) also know about Laura Wolvaardt, Alyssa Healy, Nadine de Klerk. That, for me, is the biggest gain.
People might forget the names of the other cricketers, but they will remember the names of the Indian cricketers. They will say – ‘the women’s team is back in business, they are playing again’. Yes, that adds to the expectations, which the players will have to shoulder, just like the men’s cricket team. With all the kind of love, adulation, remuneration that the men’s team gets, they are expected to win every contest. They cannot lose. That will start happening slowly and steadily in the women’s team also.
FP: We saw incredible images of you with the team, holding the World Cup trophy and doing a victory lap after the win in the final on November 2. What did this World Cup win mean for you personally and also what was that moment like when you lifted the trophy…
AC: For me, personally, I always wanted to win a World Cup in every World Cup I played for India. In the 2005 World Cup, where India lost to Australia in South Africa (India lost in the final against Australia in Centurion) – I remember every moment of that game. It was two decades ago, but I remember exactly where India lost that match. And I say it very openly – that 2005 World Cup team was the best team that India ever had playing a World Cup. But that best team did not win a World Cup. This team, led by Harmanpreet (Kaur) – even though it was not the best Indian team, they have won a World Cup.
We didn’t need someone from the outside to replace an opener. We played with 11 players through the tournament, we didn’t change the playing XI through the World Cup in 2005. When India were in a position to win this World Cup, there were (certain) emotions that I felt. Two days before the final, when India won against Australia. There was a gap of a couple of days and there were so many events happening – some interviews, some chats. And each time I felt, ‘Wow, what a moment it will be if India lift the World Cup’. The mere mention of India lifting the World Cup left me with moist eyes.
Obviously, when I was doing commentary (in the final), I didn’t want to get into that zone and something always stopped me from getting ahead of myself and I was actually feeding off what the Indian team was doing on the park, because they were (also) not getting ahead of themselves, they were in the moment and that was a learning curve for me as an individual and as a broadcaster that – ‘stay in the moment, stay in the present’. It’s such an important thing – to stay in the moment. When India won the World Cup, I didn’t even know how to react. I was sitting in the commentary box and Bish (Ian Bishop) was there with me and I was thinking – ‘I don’t even know what to say, how to express my emotions. As a broadcaster you are always very conscious that you have to say the right things and you are expected to say the right things every time. In a moment like that you are supposed to voice your emotions in the perfect manner. It has to hit the bullseye. I wasn’t even able to express my emotions to myself.
Then when I went down to the ground and we were doing studio work – I didn’t even see the bhangra (that the Indian team did on the ground after the win). Then the girls were doing a victory lap and I told my cameraperson – ‘please hold my microphone, I need to congratulate them’. I didn’t know what was going to happen and in a couple of minutes they (the Indian team) were all around us and I don’t know what (exactly) happened. The moment that World Cup trophy was in my hands, I thought – ‘this is for real, this is not an event promoting the World Cup. This is a World Cup trophy that belongs to me.’ And even now that I say this, not for a moment have I had the thought that – ‘that World Cup trophy is not mine.’ I was telling the girls the other day that now I tell people, ‘I am a World champion, so please address me as a World champion.’ And they started laughing, saying – ‘really?’. And I said – ‘yes, I am a world champion.’ Nobody has given me this title, I have given this title to myself.
When I got the trophy I felt – I must lift the trophy with the team because I am a former player, they are the current players. I saw the videos later, I didn’t even realise what was happening. But that’s the time I think I realised what it means to lift the World Cup. And to be surrounded by all the current players and we are all celebrating in unison. We were all there at the same time – it was a beautiful, magical moment. It is such a beautiful memory that will remain forever. Whether we go on to win another World Cup sooner or later, this moment will always remain (with me). I have played with Harmanpreet (Kaur), I have seen Deepti (Sharma), I have played with Sneh Rana and there we were lifting the World Cup. I will always feel very connected to this team. It will always remain a very special, warm moment for me, as a cricketer.
FP: Let’s look ahead to this season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) now. If you had to shortlist one thing that you are looking forward to the most this season, what would that be and why?
AC: I am expecting high scores in this (edition of the) WPL. I am eagerly looking forward to that. The reason I am saying that is that in a fifty-over game, prior to the (last ODI) World Cup, Australia got 400 plus runs and India lost the game by about 40-50 odd runs (Australia women made 412 and India women responded with 369, losing the third ODI in Delhi by 43 runs). These were huge scores that were put on the board.
Earlier women’s matches had seen 400-plus totals (Australia’s 412 vs India last year is currently the sixth highest innings total in women’s ODI history), but it was a first for an Australia vs India game. That was in September (2025), before the (ODI) World Cup and India was on course for a win. That is almost exactly what happened in the semi-final (of the women’s ODI World Cup) also where Australia made 338 and India chased it down with more than an over to spare (India won by 5 wickets with Jemimah Rodrigues scoring 127 not out off 134 balls). Recently also, the way we saw the Indian team play in the five-match series against Sri Lanka (India beat Sri Lanka 5-0 in a recent T20i series at home).
So, in the WPL, where the average scores in league matches were around 140-150 – that might go up, I am hoping, this season to around 155-160. It might sound like just a 5-10 run jump, but it makes a big difference.
FP: What were the biggest takeaways for you from the first mega auction of the WPL? All 5 squads have a newish look now…
AC: Players are now sensing opportunities. The moment the WPL was announced, those players who were on the sidelines, they begun to make it, and those who didn’t make it, it must have been a bitter pill to swallow for them. Some made efforts to join the WPL in season 2, some in season 3. But come season 4, there have been more opportunities because of the mega auction. It was nice to see so many young Indian players getting big bids.
Also, the fact that everyone wants to make a strong impression in the WPL, because that is the route that the players want to take. Especially after watching the IPL, which has served as a launchpad for so many careers and given a boost to many cricketers to join the senior ranks. And that is something the women players are also now thinking and that is a good sign for me. Though I still feel that the domestic cricket structure needs to be a lot more competitive, than what it is right now. But at least it’s a start, for individual players.
FP: Let’s talk about specific teams now – beginning with the team most people are calling the team to beat, once again – twice champions in three years and defending champions, the Mumbai Indians. They defended just 149 in the final last season to hand DC another runner-up finish. Would you call MI the most well-rounded team this time again and the team to beat? They have a whole host of match-winning all-rounders, which is key in T20 cricket…
AC: Yes and no. Yes, because they are two-time champions and also because they are the only team to have almost the same playing-12 that they had in the last two seasons. Barring Yastika Bhatia (was released ahead of the mega auction and was subsequently bought by Gujarat Giants) there will be no change as such in the playing XI. Yastika will be substituted by (Gunalan) Kamalini (made history by becoming the WPL’s youngest debutante in 2025, at the age of 16), who has been in the scheme of things since last season. She will be keeping wickets (for MI Women).
So, for MI, I would not say the core, I will say the team has not changed (MI retained five players and bought back another five at the auction). Their 12 remains the same. They bought four players at the auction in the accelerated round (Milly Illingworth, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha, and Rahila Firdous). They picked up Amelia Kerr for a huge amount (the NZ all-rounder was bought back for 3 Crore after being released). Maybe they wanted to buy one more player (MI bought a total of 11 players at the auction, including five uncapped players), but they broke the bank for Amelia Kerr. The reason I say that MI women are not the team to beat is that when I see the UP Warriorz team – I feel that will be the team to beat. On paper, they (UP Warriorz) look the strongest. But cricket is not played on paper.
FP: Talk to me a little bit more about the UP Warriorz team. A lot of experts feel that traditionally their batting has been their weak spot. Now they have landed the likes of Meg Lanning, Deepti Sharma, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, and Deandra Dottin - overall a strong core…
AC: For them, I can say that the UP Warriorz are starting off season four a lot like season one, because they have had an overhaul. The good thing for them is that they have a few players who have played earlier for the franchise as well, like Deepti (Sharma – bought back for Rs 3.20 crore which made her the most expensive buy of the 2026 auction), Sophie Ecclestone (bought back for Rs 85 lakh using the Right to Match card). But because so many players went back into the pool and then came back, the mindset of the players will also be like a blank slate, because everyone went into the auction barring Shweta Sehrawat (only player retained by UP Warriorz ahead of the 2026 auction).
They will be the team to beat, because they have got their bases covered. They have a strong top order, with Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, then Deepti (Sharma), Harleen (Deol – moved from Gujarat Giants to UP Warriorz after being bought for Rs 50 lakh at the auction) as an Indian player in the middle order, they have Deandra Dottin. They also have the likes of Kiran Navgire (batter) and Simran Sheikh (batter) as Indian talent in the middle order. Since they have decent power-hitters, with the likes of Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Kiran Navgire, Simran Sheikh. I see Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield opening, which is a super (opening) combination. The only weak link in this squad is the keeper’s position. They have a Shipra Giri. So, the team to beat overall, will be the UP Warriorz, because they start with experience in their ranks.
FP: I wanted to go back a bit again to the MI squad. They retained key foreign stars like Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, and also captain Harmanpreet Kaur of course. If you had to pinpoint what their biggest challenge will be this season, what would your take be on that?
AC: The challenge will be to fall-back on their Indian talent. Like we have seen in the men’s (IPL) – CSK – they rarely rotate their players. They look at say 12 players maximum, in the entire season. Mumbai also follows a similar strategy in the IPL as well as in the WPL. When I sit down to analyse their (MI’s) squad, I realise that their core is the same. Barring Yastika Bhatia, everyone else is the same in the playing XI. Plus, they have invested in players like a Nalla Reddy (21-year-old right-arm fast bowler discovered by the MI scouts) – a player who is an all-rounder and I am told that she has a difficult action to pick. But then, I haven’t seen much of Nalla Reddy, I have only heard of her. I haven’t seen somebody like a Rahila Firdous (27-year-old wicket-keeper) or Triveni (Vasistha – 18- year-old left hand batter and left arm spinner).
The Mumbai Indians of course have their scouts who go around the country trying to identify (new) talent and considering the scouts have identified these players, they must be very good. So, for me that can be the only challenge (new Indian talent delivering when picked to play). But at the end of the day, they have a Nat Sciver-Brunt, a Haley Matthews, Amanjot (Kaur), Harmanpreet (Kaur), Shabnim Ismail, Amelia Kerr. They also have another player called Nicola Carey (left hand batter & right arm medium bowler from Australia) in their line-up. They might have a challenge fitting in all the foreign players they want to play. But they can trust the four foreigners (they play) and they have the others doing their jobs – and they have done a great job – they have been champions two seasons (out of three played so far), so you can’t doubt their methodology.
But since the other teams are vying to snatch the title away from them, one has to think about the whole chain and see if there’s a weak link. Can they fall-back on their Indian talent? If they don’t start off very well, then who do they turn to?
FP: Did you find it surprising that MI let go off Nadine de Klerk? She recently had a great run at the World Cup…
AC: They couldn’t retain more players. They would have probably gone for Nadine de Klerk, if they had the money or they could have gone for a Yastika Bhatia, if they really needed her. They retained five players. And also, the amount that they had to pay per retainee. Nat Sciver-Brunt was the first player they retained, followed by Harmanpreet (Kaur). So, you are paying a foreign recruit more than your World Cup-winning Indian captain, who has won two WPL titles. G Kamalini cost them just Rs 50 lakh (to retain). It was good that they managed to retain someone like Hayley Matthews (for Rs 1.75 crore), because had she gone into the auction, she would have fetched a good price, like Amelia (Kerr) did (bought back by MI from the auction pool for Rs 3 crore).
FP: Your take on Harmanpreet the MI captain. We have seen what she brings to the table as the India skipper, how highly would you rate her captaincy for MI – both in terms of strategies on the field and leading from the front as a key batter? She is the fifth highest all-time run scorer so far in WPL history…
AC: As a batter there is immense room for her to climb a rung higher. She has of course played some excellent knocks for Mumbai Indians, including in last season’s final (was Player of the Match for her 66 off 44 balls in the 2025 WPL final vs DC). Before that, in season two – against the Gujarat Giants – I think she scored an 80 or 90 in Delhi. It was a Harmanesque knock. The runs just flowed from her bat. The ball was going in all directions on that cricket ground. But I feel that as a MI batter, there is still a lot to be explored going by the skill that Harmanpreet possesses.
As a captain, now she is not leading an (international team), she is leading a franchise. She knows what the doables are on the park. She has got the skill of an Amelia (Kerr) and a Haley Matthews and a Nat Sciver-Brunt, who she can always fall back on. They are the best of the best in the international market. Leading a franchise team is different from leading an Indian side or any other national side. But for her (Harmanpreet), I will say that because she has been at the helm for the past few years, the experience of fielding different players, different sides, but the pressure being the same – the pressure of expectations, the pressure to deliver the goods.
When you are leading a team there is sometimes unspoken expectations, sometimes even spoken. Sometimes even when nothing is spoken as such, you know that as a franchise team, x and y are expected from you as a captain and leader of the pack. Sometimes I feel that those expectations have actually helped Harmanpreet (grow). You know that when the situation is very difficult, you can expect Harmanpreet to rise to that occasion. And that has happened quite a few times – whether playing for India or the Mumbai Indians or even for Punjab.
If you are in a difficult situation, you can count on Harman. That kind of decision making (under pressure) has helped. She is very calm, she knows what she is doing. I know she doesn’t take anything lightly or for granted. She is a go-getter and a match-winner. Overall captaincy – for India and the Mumbai Indians – has helped her raise her own game, thought process and decision making.
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