Two of the busiest teams in the mega auction, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants, will be eager to roll out their overhauled sides in their campaign opener at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.

Slotted in for the afternoon game, the first of two this season and both in the Navi Mumbai leg, the big-hitters on both sides will miss out on the venue’s generous dew, but have enough grit in the batting arsenal to hash out competitive totals.

The Meg Lanning-led Warriorz have one of the most diverse teams in skills and experience.

Take the pairing of Shikha Pandey and Kranti Gaud in the pace pool, for instance. Should Deandra Dottin feature, and the side has her wily medium pace to rely on in addition to the muscle she brings to the batting order.

A point of interest is the wicketkeeper’s slot. If Shweta Sehrawat’s pyrotechnics in the nets are anything to go by, and if the Warriorz have worked on her big-stage nerves, the side has quite the talent at its disposal.

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The Giants have Australians Beth Mooney and skipper Ashleigh Gardner as their fulcrum, with veteran White Fern Sophie Devine in the mix. There’s a lot of firepower, but they should guard against implosions.

Both sides will sweat over their overseas combinations with great options to choose from, and will hope the Indian core wean away from relying too much on the pros.

In the evening fixture, the Mumbai Indians will play its second game on the trot, this time against the three-time runner-up Delhi Capitals. With a new captain in Jemimah Rodrigues, the Capitals’ batting attack looks far more settled than its bowling slots.

With Marizanne Kapp taking a sure slot, which foreign player sits out will be one to watch.

Mumbai can take plenty of confidence from the audacity of young opening batter G. Kamalini, who bravely resisted Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s seam traps in the opening fixture. But her partner, Amelia Kerr, looked far from comfortable. The defending champion needs to shake off the ring rust and channel DC’s old habit of looking impregnable early on to keep itself comfortable in the tournament.

Published on Jan 09, 2026