Former Indian cricketer and analyst Aakash Chopra has made his bold predictions for the upcoming 2026 season of the Women's Premier League (WPL). In a detailed analysis, he has backed the Delhi Capitals to finally lift the trophy and named Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana as his favourite for the Orange Cap.
Delhi Capitals Tipped for Maiden Title Triumph
Chopra strongly believes that the Delhi Capitals' time has come. He pointed to their remarkable consistency, having reached the final in all three previous editions of the tournament. The analyst feels that under their new captain, Jemimah Rodrigues, the team is perfectly poised to go all the way this time. Sharing his views on JioStar, Chopra said he thinks Delhi will win because they have assembled a very strong squad and their finals record demands a title.
Mandhana and Verma to Dominate Batting Charts
Turning his attention to individual accolades, Chopra placed RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana at the forefront of the race for the Orange Cap, awarded to the season's highest run-scorer. He stated that this WPL season could be Mandhana's standout campaign with the bat, making her the frontrunner for the honour.
However, he also highlighted another explosive opener as a serious contender. Chopra backed Delhi Capitals' power-hitter Shafali Verma to be a strong challenger for the top run-scorer award, suggesting the competition could be intense between the two Indian stars.
Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani for Individual Honours
Chopra's predictions extended to other major awards. He backed Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma to achieve a historic hat-trick of Player of the Tournament awards. He emphasised that her current form is unstoppable and her success in the WPL has significantly elevated her overall game.
For the Emerging Player of the Season award, the former opener named young spinner Shree Charani as his pick. Chopra cited her fantastic performance in the recent World Cup and predicted she could be the tournament's best spinner, making her the prime candidate for the emerging player honour.
Opening Match Prediction
Chopra also gave his verdict for the high-profile season opener between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scheduled for January 9 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. While acknowledging there is very little to separate the two powerhouse teams, he leaned towards a victory for the Mumbai Indians in that initial clash.
With these predictions, Aakash Chopra has set the stage for an exciting WPL 2026 season, where the Delhi Capitals will be under pressure to validate his faith, and stars like Mandhana and Deepti Sharma will aim to live up to his lofty expectations.
