'We're not trying to reinvent the wheel': Luke Williams backs Mumbai Indians core for WPL 2027

Mumbai Indians head coach Luke Williams Mumbai Indians missed out on the Women’s Premier League play-offs last season after injuries and illness disrupted their combinations and close matches disappeared. New head coach Luke Williams believes the franchise can return to contention without making major changes to a side that has won two titles in four seasons.“I’m certainly not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Williams told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction from Adelaide.The Australian takes over from Lisa Keightley, who left after one season in charge. Keightley replaced Charlotte Edwards, who led Mumbai to their inaugural WPL title in 2023. Williams knows Edwards from his time in the England women’s set-up and comes with a WPL title of his own, having coached Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the 2024 championship.He spent the 2026 season out of the competition, but when the Mumbai job became available, the prospect of returning to the WPL – and working with Harmanpreet Kaur – appealed to him.“I think I was still a bit surprised when it happened,” he said. “And from my end I was extremely honored and there was immediate interest. Obviously I had some previous experience with the WPL. I had a year out of it last season and I really missed being involved in the competition.”Mumbai are two-time WPL champions and Williams said the franchise’s record, along with the prospect of a response to a difficult campaign, made the role attractive.“The success that MI have achieved in all leagues but also in the WPL with two titles in four years has been really exciting. And probably the tougher year last year is a motivating factor to try and bounce back and really compete for the title this year,” he said.

Injuries, close games and the need for consistency

Mumbai finished the 2026 league stage with three wins and five defeats, with Hayley Matthews missing the first three games with a quad injury while Nat Sciver-Brunt also struggled with illness. Harmanpreet scored 342 runs, Sciver-Brunt 321 and Amelia Kerr took 14 wickets, but Mumbai could not convert enough individual performances into victory.Williams pointed to the difficulty of establishing combinations in a tournament with just eight league games. Mumbai lost close matches, including the opener against RCB, and had little time to recover from the setbacks.“It’s looked like a tough year with some injuries and illnesses at different times. So trying to get the combination right at different times is a big part of it. There’s been some close games, even the first game of the tournament against RCB. I think in this tournament where there’s only eight games, tight games are so important to try and make them go your way. And try to win those key moments,” he said.“I think we still had a positive net success rate last year. Mumbai and RCB were the only two teams to finish with a positive net success rate. So there’s still a lot of positives. But just a couple of areas where we can maybe get a little bit lucky with injuries and illness. But also make sure our processes, especially in the tighter games, are really clear and able to get over the line in them.”Williams isn’t going to ditch the team’s approach. He wants players to be clear about their responsibilities while allowing for changes as their games evolve between WPL seasons.“I think first of all there’s a lot to go on in terms of philosophy. But again, I think (with) every player it’s a year between WPL. So players would develop different things. So to be really clear about your role within the side where there could be subtle shifts from different years,” he said.He pointed to the retentions as an indication of the franchise’s plans.“But again, in terms of the overall composition, I mean, or the makeup, you could probably see from our retentions that we’d like to keep the basic core of the team. But again, there might be some subtle changes in different roles and how we go about little pieces. But we’re definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel.”

Harmanpreet remains as captain

Harmanpreet will continue to lead Mumbai even though her international captaincy is over. She stepped down as India captain this month after leading the team to its first Women’s Cricket World Cup title in 2025.For Williams, Harmanpreet remains central to his plans in Mumbai. The two spoke online and on the phone and met during his recent visit to India.“Obviously, Harman is an integral part of MI, as well as Indian cricket, of course. And she’ll continue to be the captain and she’s just a huge presence within the franchise. She’s really strong in her thoughts and beliefs and we’re really united in how we want to take the team forward, not only this year, but hopefully for years to come,” Williams said.He appreciates her ability to combine an intense competitive edge with composure when making decisions under pressure.“I think she’s able to mix steely competitiveness and drive and all those attributes you want to see in a leader with composure and knowledge of the game and the ability to make really good decisions under pressure,” he said.“So I love the combination of a leader who is there and stands and always wants to compete, but also is able to be really calculated in the decisions that they make.”

Auctions: immediate needs and future possibilities

The WPL auction takes place in Kochi on October 28. Mumbai have retained Harmanpreet, Matthews, Sciver-Brunt and Kerr among others, giving Williams an experienced core to build on.His priority is to find players whose strengths complement those already in the team, while ensuring the team has options for different pitches and conditions.“We’re making sure each guy has some strengths that we think can be highlighted in our program that will fit well with the other players we have, I think depending on the conditions we’re playing in, we’ve got options for wickets, whether it’s spinning wickets or slow wickets or whatever conditions we’re facing,” he said of having a range of options to be able to.The search will not be limited to players expected to start each game. Williams also wants reinforcements who can put pressure on the first-choice XI and step in when needed.“I think we’re in a really good position, with a strong core, an experienced core, but I think that’s probably the primary function of the upcoming auction is to really focus on some of the players that we think they can add, whether that’s in the starting XI or applying pressure or being ready to go if the opportunity arises,” he said.As the current WPL auction cycle enters its final year, he will make an immediate contribution in recruiting. Williams said the franchise will still consider younger players who could remain a part of the team beyond the upcoming season.“Primarily in the last year of the cycle, you probably lean towards immediate output and what the person can do in the next 12 months. That’s probably the first lens you look at a player through,” he said.“But again, when we look at young players who can be a part of the franchise for an extended period of time, definitely keep an eye on that and be aware of that. And depending on how the auction goes or the person and how they develop, we’re certainly open to adding that to our roster as well.”

Data has its place, but players have to trust their game

Williams has coached the WPL and the Australian Women’s Big Bash League, worked with the England Women’s team and was part of the Southern Brave winning team in The Hundred. In these environments, he says, preparation and trust in individual roles remain central.“A lot of the same things are about making sure your teams are as prepared as they can be, really confident in their own roles and also their teammates and the style of play you want to do and really trying to create an environment that’s happy and people are really having fun,” he said.“There are some ups and downs in T20 cricket. So having a group that really supports each other, understands that there will be ups and downs and can bounce back quickly after a tough game or a tough over or a tough delivery at different times is so important.”He likes to use data and analytics but doesn’t believe every player needs to think about matches and stats while batting or bowling. The information must suit the individual.“There are some players that obviously the actual data or which pitchers to potentially target or at-bats or different fields really work. That’s a little bit of information. For others, I think it has to be very much in the background and the clear focus has to be on their own individual strengths,” he said.“It’s almost the role of the coaches and support staff to put them in positions where they’re likely to have the most success, rather than them having to think too much about whether they need to adjust. We’re really the ones putting pressure on ourselves to put them in the positions where they’re most successful.”Williams wants to use the available information without complicating the decision-making for players in the middle.“I’m a person who likes the data and analytical side of cricket, but I’m also very aware that it’s still a game. You don’t want to overcomplicate it and it’s a really tough game. So I definitely want the players to really focus on what their job is at the moment and not worry too much about numbers and things like that,” he said, because it’s a pretty tough game.Williams also watched the impact of the WPL on Indian women’s cricket over four seasons. He pointed to the national team’s victory at the World Cup and the players’ growing willingness to take risks.“I’m very excited about Indian women’s cricket and the direction it’s going. Obviously we’ve had the WPL for four seasons and in those four years India won the World Cup. So I definitely think you can see the fruits of the investment in the WPL,” he said.“I think year after year just the bravery and the way the players embrace the game, the athleticism across all the teams and on the field is growing and growing every year. But I think if I had to pick one thing with the growth of the WPL, it’s just going into the game and the bravery to take risks and things like that.”As Williams prepares for his first season in charge of Mumbai, he wants the players and staff to be proud of representing the franchise.“I really want the group to love what they are doing, to be so proud to represent MI and we are in such a fortunate position to represent the franchise, to play cricket professionally and we really want to inspire the next generation of players in India and hopefully Mumbai Indians as well,” he said.“So I really want everyone from our group, whether it’s our staff, our players, to be passionate about what they’re doing, love the franchise and really enjoy it because we’re very fortunate to be doing what we’re doing.”