Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Wednesday (March 1) has officially been named as the captain of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the upcoming inaugural season of Women's Premier League (WPL 2023).

Harmanpreet is the only cricketer (irrespective of gender) to play in more than 150 T20Is, and is only behind Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in terms of the leading run-getters for India in the shortest format.

It was no surprise when MI announced the decision, as her appointment was widely expected the moment they successfully bidded for her at a price of ₹1.8 crore in the WPL player auction.

In a press release, MI owner Mrs. Nita M. Ambani said: “We are thrilled to have Harmanpreet as the captain of Mumbai Indians’ first-ever women’s cricket team. As the national captain, she has led the Indian Women’s team to some of their most exciting wins. And I am sure that with Charlotte and Jhulan’s 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. We are so looking forward to the beginning of this new chapter for MI! I can’t wait to see our girls play the fearless and entertaining MI brand of cricket that our fans adore. More power to Harmanpreet and the entire MI team on this exciting journey ahead!”

MI will play in the season opener of WPL 2023 on 4th March, at DY Patil Stadium against Gujarat Giants (GG).

Mumbai Indians Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Isabelle Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon, Humairaa Kaazi, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Neelam Bisht, and Jintimani Kalita.