India, Jan. 9 -- Still basking in the glory of their maiden ODI World Cup triumph, India's effervescent women cricketers will return to competitive action in the fourth Women's Premier League starting here on Friday, kicking off their build-up to this year's T20 World Cup.

Two-time winners and defending champions Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will face the only other title-winning side in the WPL, Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the tournament-opener here at the 'home of Indian women's cricket', the DY Patil Stadium.

The fourth WPL will be held in two stages, in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, presenting players from around the world to go against the best and augment their preparations for the T20 World Cup, slat...