WPL 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur wishes to bat ‘more freely’ as she aims to win back-to-back titles for MI

Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur. (Photo: Mumbai Indians via X)

For ardent followers of Indian women’s cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur, the India batter, and Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai Indians batter in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), can come across as chalk and cheese. While she tends to bat with some restraint in India colours, the 36-year-old tends to cut loose a bit more in the league, where is the second-highest run-getter with 851 runs in 27 matches at a strike rate of 143.5.

Ahead of the fourth season starting on Friday, the MI captain said she hoped to bat a lot more freely without having to take too much pressure on herself.

“I think, as a batter, I want to bat freely. Because this is the only platform where I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. Because this is something where I can execute myself, however I want. It’s a very important tournament for me, and I just want to contribute to my team as much as I can,” Harmanpreet said at the pre-tournament press conference on Thursday.

Over the last three seasons, Harmanpreet has had the opportunity to lead a side with numerous all-rounders. The 36-year-old felt it was a ‘blessing’ for her.

“I personally like having all-rounders in the team, and that was the thing we wanted to pick all-rounders in the side. I don’t think it’s a headache. It’s a blessing that you have too many options.”

“And I think all-rounders can always fill all the spots that you had in mind. I am really happy that we were able to pick one of the best all-rounders from international and even domestic cricket. So hopefully they will come up with an aggressive mindset and deliver what the team is expecting from them,” she said.

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Harmanpreet worked with former England captain Charlotte Edwards as the head coach for the first three seasons. However, with the latter taking up England’s head coach role in April last year, she will be working with Lisa Keightley in the new season.

Harmanpreet Kaur of India during the 5th T20I match between India and Sri Lanka at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, India, on December 30, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)

Harmanpreet appreciated the way the former Australian cricketer had brought a sense of calm to the setup.

“This is the first time I’ve had a chance to know her, and she’s been great to our group. Everyone is coming and giving great feedback about her. She’s very, very calm, relaxed, and I think I really like to work with people who are calm, who are, you know, who know their work, who don’t panic at all.

“So, I mean, working with her is something, I think it is going to be very exciting. I didn’t get that much time to spend with her. But I got really great feedback from other players, and I think this season is going to be very exciting because I’ve never worked with her, and I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot from her,” she said.