WPL: One-skill players won’t survive anymore, says Mumbai Indians coach Lisa Keightley
Rajesh Pansare | Dec 02, 2025, 04:00 IST
Mumbai Indians’ new WPL head coach Lisa Keightley says modern women’s cricket demands multi-dimensional players as power-hitting, athleticism and year-round professionalism redefine the game
Lisa Keightley’s first visit to India was during the 1997 Women’s World Cup and it was a journey into the unknown. For the first time she was playing outside Trans-Tasman nations, and it was an era when women’s cricket was striving for recognition. One could only dream of the five-stars hotels and top-notch facilities that exist in current times.
In little under three decades, Keightley has seen women’s cricket grow from a bunch of semi-professionals playing for their passion to a sport that is waiting to explode. Now 54, Keightley was granted a paid leave by her employers Cricket New South Wales to play in the World Cup that Australia won.
In current times, women’s cricketers have turned into full-time professionals, more powerful and new nations are emerging to challenge the sport once dominated by Australia and England. The 2025 ODI World Cup, in which India beat South Africa to lift their maiden title, was also the first women’s final that did not involve either Australia or England.
Keightley, who will be coaching the Mumbai Indians in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL), feels that the World Cup victory, and ever-growing influence of the WPL, will turn India into a dominant force in years to come and other nations should be ‘scared’ about it.
“If you look at the last three years of WPL, it’s really unearthing Indian players. If they’ve done well in WPL, you see them transitioning to the Indian team. From year one to year three, the Indian team has changed so much, and I see that only getting better. (India are) going to have a huge pool to select from. If you add to it the success in the World Cup, and how that’s thrown women’s cricket in India even more in the limelight, I can only see more girls wanting to play the sport. It’s going to be quite scary for other countries,” Keightley told Mumbai Mirror.
Coaching for last 20 years, Keightley feels that as the sport has moved towards more professionalism, there has been an uptick in the skills, intensity and power hitting.
That fearless approach was visible during the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India which saw many batting records toppled. A record 133 sixes were hit which was 22 more than the previous best set in 2017. Teams crossed the 300-plus totals on eight occasions, the most in any edition and double the number of 2022. A total of 15 centuries were scored and the previous best was 14 in 2017.
The boost, Keightley feels, is because of “players becoming full-time around the world”.
She further explains: “I think we see an effect of that. We get more power because they’re training seven days a week. If you want to play for your country, you need to be more athletic, you’re fit, you’re strong and that breeds power game. I can only see that improving in the next three to five years. A lot of players now can clear the rope (nowadays). In another five years, you’ll see the majority of players will be able to clear the rope.”
If one goes by how the teams conducted their business during Thursday’s WPL mega auction, being multi-dimensional is the need of a modern-day sport and that’s what Keightley looks in a player. “You’re getting more players that can do two to three skills. If you’re a bowler, fielding is important. I think the time of a one-skill player is getting less. You’ve got to make sure you can do at least two out of the three skill sets,” says Keightley, who served as the Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach in the first three seasons of the WPL.
Keightley has guided international teams like Australia, England—first full-time woman coach for both the teams, while in franchise cricket she coaches Sydney Thunder in the WBBL and Northern Superchargers, who won the Hundred earlier this year. At every pitstop of that sojourn, she has always advised her players to trust their “strengths” when the chips are down.
“When you’re under pressure, what will work for you is what you’re really good at and that is your strengths. You’ve got to get yourself in a position to win, to go for the runs, to get the wickets. I tell players that the way to get there is through your strengths. Nine times out of 10, you’ll be able to execute that skill because it’s your strength for a reason. I build our game around people’s strengths and what they do well, I encourage them to do that. That’s how world-class players are successful. They know their strengths and when they’re really under pressure, they can execute,” Keightley talks of her coaching philosophy.
Keightley has an impressive CV, and years of coaching behind her back, but she still feels the butterflies. So, what settles it? “A good start to the tournament”. That task will be in the hands of Harmanpreet & Co when the fourth edition of the WPL kicks off on January 9, 2026, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
In little under three decades, Keightley has seen women’s cricket grow from a bunch of semi-professionals playing for their passion to a sport that is waiting to explode. Now 54, Keightley was granted a paid leave by her employers Cricket New South Wales to play in the World Cup that Australia won.
In current times, women’s cricketers have turned into full-time professionals, more powerful and new nations are emerging to challenge the sport once dominated by Australia and England. The 2025 ODI World Cup, in which India beat South Africa to lift their maiden title, was also the first women’s final that did not involve either Australia or England.
Keightley, who will be coaching the Mumbai Indians in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL), feels that the World Cup victory, and ever-growing influence of the WPL, will turn India into a dominant force in years to come and other nations should be ‘scared’ about it.
“If you look at the last three years of WPL, it’s really unearthing Indian players. If they’ve done well in WPL, you see them transitioning to the Indian team. From year one to year three, the Indian team has changed so much, and I see that only getting better. (India are) going to have a huge pool to select from. If you add to it the success in the World Cup, and how that’s thrown women’s cricket in India even more in the limelight, I can only see more girls wanting to play the sport. It’s going to be quite scary for other countries,” Keightley told Mumbai Mirror.
Coaching for last 20 years, Keightley feels that as the sport has moved towards more professionalism, there has been an uptick in the skills, intensity and power hitting.
That fearless approach was visible during the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India which saw many batting records toppled. A record 133 sixes were hit which was 22 more than the previous best set in 2017. Teams crossed the 300-plus totals on eight occasions, the most in any edition and double the number of 2022. A total of 15 centuries were scored and the previous best was 14 in 2017.
The boost, Keightley feels, is because of “players becoming full-time around the world”.
She further explains: “I think we see an effect of that. We get more power because they’re training seven days a week. If you want to play for your country, you need to be more athletic, you’re fit, you’re strong and that breeds power game. I can only see that improving in the next three to five years. A lot of players now can clear the rope (nowadays). In another five years, you’ll see the majority of players will be able to clear the rope.”
If one goes by how the teams conducted their business during Thursday’s WPL mega auction, being multi-dimensional is the need of a modern-day sport and that’s what Keightley looks in a player. “You’re getting more players that can do two to three skills. If you’re a bowler, fielding is important. I think the time of a one-skill player is getting less. You’ve got to make sure you can do at least two out of the three skill sets,” says Keightley, who served as the Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach in the first three seasons of the WPL.
Keightley has guided international teams like Australia, England—first full-time woman coach for both the teams, while in franchise cricket she coaches Sydney Thunder in the WBBL and Northern Superchargers, who won the Hundred earlier this year. At every pitstop of that sojourn, she has always advised her players to trust their “strengths” when the chips are down.
“When you’re under pressure, what will work for you is what you’re really good at and that is your strengths. You’ve got to get yourself in a position to win, to go for the runs, to get the wickets. I tell players that the way to get there is through your strengths. Nine times out of 10, you’ll be able to execute that skill because it’s your strength for a reason. I build our game around people’s strengths and what they do well, I encourage them to do that. That’s how world-class players are successful. They know their strengths and when they’re really under pressure, they can execute,” Keightley talks of her coaching philosophy.
Keightley has an impressive CV, and years of coaching behind her back, but she still feels the butterflies. So, what settles it? “A good start to the tournament”. That task will be in the hands of Harmanpreet & Co when the fourth edition of the WPL kicks off on January 9, 2026, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.