WPL 2025: 3 players who could claim the Orange Cap

We are inching closer to the third edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), which will begin on February 14. Over the last two seasons, many batters have lit up the tournament with their explosive batting, leaving the audience in awe. We look at three such players who could walk away with the Orange Cap this time:

Smriti Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana has had a terrific 2024 in which she not only won the Women's ODI cricketer of the year but also led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden WPL title. Mandhana has taken time to get going in the tournament, having managed just 449 runs at a strike rate of 125.4 so far. 

However, with the form she has been in of late, do not discount the southpaw to end up on top of the run-scorers charts in the 2025 edition.

Meg Lanning

With 676 runs to her name, former Australia skipper Meg Lanning is the leading run-getter in the WPL. Her runs have come at a strike rate of 131 and includes as many as six fifties - the most in the tournament. 

Lanning has been the epitome of consistency over the years, and it would be naive to count her out of the race. After all, she won the Orange Cap in the inaugural edition and finished second in the next, representing Delhi Capitals.

Hayley Matthews

Mumbai Indians may have hit the jackpot by retaining West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews for just INR 40 lakh. She hit 12 50-plus scores in 2024 in T20 cricket, and hit 1,387 runs as well - the most by any player. 

Matthews has scored over 450 runs in the WPL and is the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 23 scalps. Will she go on to be the first player to win the Orange and the Purple Cap in the same season? No reason she cannot.