Defending champions Mumbai Indians face 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL 2026 opener on Friday. Harmanpreet Kaur’s MI and Smriti Mandhana’s RCB are the only two teams to win the Women’s Premier League title in the last three season. While MI have won the title twice RCB won the crown once. Speaking on JioHotstar’s show ‘TATA WPL: Curtain Raiser’ Harmanpreet Kaur Smriti Mandhana and JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy discussed MI’s fearsome core Mandhana’s international form challenge Ellyse Perry’s irreplaceable leadership void and focus on enjoyment and work ethic. Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur emphasized the importance of enjoying the game and helping teammates over succumbing to pressure. “You feel pressure in any format whether it is WPL international cricket or domestic matches. You set a high standard for yourself and expect a lot. But the most important thing is to enjoy yourself on the field. Other than taking pressure I would love to enjoy my game. Winning the Women’s ODI World Cup and the WPL as captain adds extra responsibility to win again. But my main focus as captain is to help the players feel settled and enjoy the game” Harmanpreet said.   Two fearless captains One iconic venue ️ A rivalry renewed Fasten your seatbelts for a thrilling #TATAWPL 2026 season opener #MIvRCB | #KhelEmotionKa | @mipaltan | @RCBTweets | @ImHarmanpreet | @mandhana_smriti pic.twitter.com/P9X0qz8egL — Womens Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 9 2026 RCB captain Smriti Mandhana emphasized a strong work ethic and translating her international batting form to the WPL 2026. “I think the whole RCB squad is very balanced this season. We had a good mega auction. I always tell the team we have to focus on our work ethic. What happens on the field is not in our hands. But the way we have been batting for the last two years I am sure we will continue that for RCB. I have also been batting well in the last two years and I want to bring that success from international cricket to the WPL. There is no better feeling than winning matches for your team whichever team you play for. I am really looking forward to doing that” Mandhana said. JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy detailed the increased expectations on captain Smriti Mandhana to provide stability in Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry’s absence. “Smriti Mandhana’s focus on hitting aerial shots will have a big impact this season. She has evolved as a cricketer using her feet more and playing the leg side against spin which is new. That is an added advantage. I feel Ellyse Perry’s absence is a big question. “Smriti will not just play a captains role but also take on the responsibility of carrying the team forward. The squad has firepower with Grace Harris Richa Ghosh and Georgia Voll. But the stability Perry gave RCB is something Smriti will need to provide. I am not saying she should curb her shots. She still strikes at 150. But she will need to play longer innings” Veda said. On why the star-studded match-winner-heavy Mumbai Indians squad is so formidable Veda said “Defending champions Mumbai Indians spent a lot to keep their players and also bought them back. They got lucky with Shabnim Ismail for just 60 lakhs after spending 3 crores on Amelia Kerr. They have five key players. Gunalan Kamalini is young and is a like-for-like replacement for the injured Yastika Bhatia. The other four are proven match-winners: Hayley Matthews Nat Sciver-Brunt Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur. That makes a solid top six. With Amelia Kerr at five you have a strong lineup. “Then you have Shabnim Ismail Hayley Matthews Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amelia Kerr giving you 16 overs of international bowling. You can fill the rest with players like Sajeevan Sajana Poonam Khemnar or Saika Ishaque. The first three years have shown that just four or five players often win games for them. I think it will be like that again. Of course they need a full team of eleven but the match-winners are fully loaded. That is what makes Mumbai Indians so dangerous.”