BoC’s 2026 WPL Predictions! – by Tarutr Malhotra

I thought I was going to be the major contrarian of the group, but turns out I’ve recruited a bunch of nut jobs to cover the WPL this year.

We can’t agree on Jemi or NSB’s potential performance this year, we’ve got a title split down the middle, no one’s entirely sure how Shikha Pandey is making ₹2.4 crore, but we all tend to agree on one thing; GG are f*cked. Which probably means they’re going to win it all.

On to the predictions that definitely won’t make us look like idiots in a month!

• Neha Shetty: Mumbai Indians. They still feel like the most complete side and know exactly how to win games (low key manifesting a new winner this time around and a final ft. GG and DC/UPW though!).

• Richa N: Mumbai Indians. Clinical, robotic, boring but efficient.

• Raunak Thakur: Delhi Capitals. The Women are gonna do it before the men yet again!

• Sharath P: Delhi Capitals. They have pedigree, brought in Laura Wolvaardt and Chinelle Henry, and are led by a young but experienced captain.

• Shayan Khan: UP Warriorz. I like their balance; they’ve got match-winners on both sides of the ball.

In all, we had 6 votes for MI, 2 for DC and 1 for UPW. I suppose you may as well go put some money on Gujarat to win at all.

• Tarutr Malhotra: RCB. In Perry’s absence, their top order is too reliant on Mandhana and the bowling is slightly second-rate.

• Raunak Thakur: RCB. This makes me cry as a hardcore fan, but they look like a Panda with no survival skills sans the services of Elyse Perry.

• Atharv Tambade: Gujarat Giants. They’ve had the worst record, and despite some good buys, I don’t believe in the organisation enough to turn things around.

• Neha Shetty: Gujarat Giants. A tough one, but something about their balance still feels like it will take more than half a season to click.

We had 6 votes for GG, and 3 for RCB. I’m now starting to wonder if being an RCB fan just forces you to go into every season assuming you’re going to be the worst.

• Atharv Tambade: Meg Lanning. Fueled by pure “vengeance tour” energy after being released by Delhi, she will have something to prove.

• Raunak Thakur: Smriti Mandhana. This might be a little vanilla, but she will have another typical season carrying RCB on her back.

• Sharath P: Smriti Mandhana. She has the consistency and ability to play in any condition against any opponent.

• Richa N: Shafali Verma. Now that her redemption arc is complete, let the era of Shafali begin!

• Tanish Taneja: Shafali Verma. Just shy of 22, she already has close to 2500 runs in T20Is, and had a very productive time in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (341 runs, ave. of 56, SR of 182) before winning the World Cup final.

• Tarun Pratap: Jemimah Rodrigues. After her World Cup performances, her confidence should be sky high and she may have a breakout season.

3 votes for Lanning, 3 for Mandhana, 2 for Verma, and 1 for Jemi. I can’t tell you how much I guarantee this is going to be Lanning’s season. You don’t drop a champion and expect them to take it lying down!

• Neha Shetty: Sophie Ecclestone. She bowls like she has a personal beef with most batting line-ups.

• Tarutr Malhotra: Marizanne Kapp. She’s been second three years running, and 2026 is when she graduates.

• Shayan Khan: Alana King. I want to see a fellow legspinner dominate!

• Richa N: Lauren Bell. Fast, furious, and ready for business especially after she was not retained and then wasn’t bought in the first round!

• Atharv Tambade: Amelia Kerr. She will continue to baffle batters with her googlies.

• Tanish Taneja: Deepti Sharma. She is very experienced on Indian pitches and will give batters all sorts of trouble.

Not as much consensus here, though Ecclestone picked up 3 votes. King got 2, while Kapp, Bell, Kerr and Sharma all got 1 each.

• Tanish Taneja: Nat Sciver-Brunt. She has the most runs scored and the fifth most wickets taken across all three seasons so far, and will be vital to MI’s bid for back-to-back titles.

• Raunak Thakur: Marizanne Kapp. Since I’m backing DC to win it all, the veteran allrounder has to be MVP. (so why didn’t you back my vote for her to take the most wickets?! – TM)

• Atharv Tambade: Deepti Sharma. Her bowling and batting in the crunch makes her a great candidate to be involved in the game all the time.

• Shayan Khan: Shafali Verma. Lots of trustworthy all-rounders to pick from, but I’m going with a rogue choice in Verma. Her current form is ridiculous!

• Tarun Pratap: ⁠Ashleigh Gardner. She is the best cricketer in the world at the moment.

• Richa N: Lucy Hamilton. I bet we’re going to see some gorgeous left arm fast bowling for DC that’s going to need to rely on her to not finish bottom of the table. (And I thought I was going to be the contrarian of the bunch – TM)

Another mismatched category, but NSB takes the lead with 3 votes, Deepti gets 2, & Kapp, Gardner, Hamilton (?!), & Verma get 1 each.

• Tarutr Malhotra: Shreyanka Patil. She’s got a point to prove after she went from India’s next big hope to forgotten prodigy.

• Neha Shetty: Shafali Verma. Every innings feels like it could either end in 15 balls or break the internet.

• Tanish Taneja: Jemimah Rodrigues. Regardless of how DC’s season goes, I am looking forward to her captaincy after a career-defining World Cup victory.

• Raunak Thakur: Nadine de Klerk. She has all my attention considering her all-weather utility (My bias is evident!).

• Sharath P: Jemimah Rodrigues. I’m really excited to watch how she handles her new responsibility as the DC Captain.

• Atharv Tambade: Laura Wolvaardt. She has the most aesthetically pleasing cover drive in the world. I just want to see more of her after that fabulous world cup!

• Shayan Khan: Lizelle Lee. I’ve read about her power-hitting ability, but I’ve never seen it live. (This is a pretty close second for me too. Her highlights from the WBBL make Shafali look timid – TM)

• Richa N: Kiran Navgire. Building on her cheeky exploits from last year.

• Tarun Pratap: Kranti Gaud. I love her bowling, her attitude, and her story.

Rodrigues has a couple of fans after that World Cup run. And if you happen to be one of them, you’re not going to like my next answer…

• Tarutr Malhotra: Jemimah Rodrigues. She’s clearly gone up a level since that knock, but I think replacing Lanning is going to be a step too far this season.

• Tanish Taneja: Richa Ghosh. With Perry’s late withdrawal, RCB will have to make adjustments to their batting order and it might mess with Ghosh’s existing ideal situation. (Listen, you can only take Tanish so seriously. The guy’s favourite ice cream flavour is honey nut crunch. Absolute loon clearly – TM)

• Raunak Thakur: Deandra Dottin. If you’re a fan of Caribbean fireworks, it might be good to keep your expectations low.

• Sharath P: Yastika Bhatia. A talented player, but comes with injury concerns plus an average and strike-rate on the lower end of the spectrum.

• Richa N: Nat Sciver Brunt. She’s due a few failures having been so good and consistent for years. (As an RCB fan, I can only hope Richa is on the money for tonight’s game – TM)

• Shayan Khan: Prema Rawat. RCB coach Malolan Rangarajan thinks she is the Indian Georgia Wareham, minus the batting. That’s a lot of faith in an inexperienced player.

Unsurprisingly a wide variety of players, but there’s one who stood out a bit with a couple of vote; Shikha Pandey. You’ll see soon enough where that sentiment is coming from.

• Neha Shetty: Richa Ghosh. Her presence in any team is still a cheat code.

• Atharv Tambade: Nat Sciver-Brunt. Do I even have to defend this?

• Shayan Khan: Shreyanka Patil. At ₹60L, she is a bit of a steal (especially in the long-term).

• Raunak Thakur: G Kamalini. MI’s talent retention may go under the radar, but she’s a steal and a statement.

• Richa N: Ashleigh Gardner. Just excellent all round performances that carry the team, and it will be needed again if GG are to get ahead.

Ghosh and Patil both got a couple of shoutouts – that’s either the most silver of linings for RCB or some desperate fans looking for any semblance of hope!

• Sharath P: Shweta Sehrawat. She’s not a bad player but they could have retained other capped players and brought her back in the auction.

• Tarutr Malhotra: Annabel Sutherland. DC dropped the greatest captain of all time for a player that isn’t even going to turn up this year.

• Atharv Tambade: Ashleigh Gardner. She’s a superstar, but playing her in this GG lineup is like buying a Ferrari just to sit in Mumbai’s peak-hour traffic. (Atharv writes some real detailed analytical pieces, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he defends this conclusion after Gardner’s inevitable brilliance! – TM)

• Raunak Thakur: I’m not going to nitpick for once as all the retentions had their merits. Let the teams breathe!

2 votes for Sehrawat, 2 for Sutherland, 1 for Gardner, but everyone else agreed to be nice like Raunak!

• Atharv Tambade: Meg Lanning. Delhi Capitals letting go of their captain who took them to three straight finals will age poorly.

• Raunak Thakur: Georgia Wareham. RCB committed seppuku by missing out on the WBBL’s Player of the Year from a month ago.

• Sharath P: Phoebe Litchfield. Hasn’t made an impact in the last 3 seasons but is a very talented player and I expect her to have a great season this year.

• Richa N: Alyssa Healy. UPW swapped her out for an uncapped player as wicketkeeper, a huge downgrade in keeping and leadership skills.

Lanning was the overwhelming (and obvious) favourite for this category – especially after Sutherland’s withdrawal – and picked up 4 votes.

• Neha Shetty: Sophie Ecclestone (₹85L). She was picked up like a bargain deal in a clearance sale, and is undeniably the best value buy.

• Tarutr Malhotra: Shabnim Ismail (₹60L). MI released the best pacer in the WPL, then got her back for peanuts. I don’t know what Gods they pray to, but I’d like an introduction.

• Raunak Thakur: Lizelle Lee (₹30L). DC might have sneaked the lavish wedding buffet they didn’t have to pay much for!

• Richa N: Georgia Voll (₹60L). Folks aren’t paying attention to how she’s played for Australia and they are definitely underrating her bowling capabilities.

Ecclestone cleared the board with 4 votes (and honestly was almost everyone’s second choice), while Ismail, Lee, Voll, Renuka Singh & Danni Wyatt-Hodge all got shout-outs too.

• Tarutr Malhotra: Shikha Pandey (₹2.4Cr). She’s been underutilised by India, but she shouldn’t command the 9th highest salary in the league.

• Tanish Taneja: Shikha Pandey (₹2.4Cr). The revamped UP Warriorz will rely on her with the new ball heavily, and it will be interesting to see if this pays off as she’s not been part of the Indian team for quite a while now.

• Tarun Pratap: Shikha Pandey (₹2.4Cr). I’m happy for her, but I was not expecting a payday like that!

• Raunak Thakur: Pooja Vastrakar (₹85L). Going after the injury prone Vastrakar feels like an absolute gamble.

• Shayan Khan: S Sajana (₹75L). She did hit a famous last ball 6 on her debut, but she also only faces 7 balls per innings on average, and has only bowled three overs in 19 WPL games.

It’s nice to get some variety from the crowd, but Pandey’s the real winner here. A massive contract, a team that has to play her 4 overs a game for 3 years, and – most importantly – 7 votes in our all-important WPL predictions!

• Tarutr Malhotra: Lanning giving the DC dugout a subtle side-eye after scoring a match-winning knock against them. That’s just a meme waiting to happen.

• Atharv Tambade: Meg Lanning staring into the soul of DC.

• Neha Shetty: Sophie Devine breaking out the Dhurandhar dance step on the field while celebrating a wicket and instantly owning the internet. (Here I was, starting to think that Neha was the only reasonable person on the team. Of course she’s nuts too! – TM)

• Tanish Taneja: I can definitely see a mankad dismissal in the second innings of a close chase under pressure.

• Raunak Thakur: Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt’s shenanigans as they reunite on the same team for the first time since the WBBL.

• Sharath P: The first century of the WPL (by Smriti Mandhana probably).

• Shayan Khan: A hat-trick in the powerplay of a knockout match. Or a double super-over in a league game.

• Richa N: Sophie Devine and Harmanpreet Kaur stare off again (or a Harmanpreet stare off against anyone really!)

• Tarun Pratap: ⁠Lizelle Lee lighting up a game with her 6s.

Feel free to tear us to shreds in the comments about our clearly uninformed opinions. But also, two of us came up with that Lanning v DC viral moment independently, so clearly it has to happen now!

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