Former Australia batter and World Cup winner Lisa Keightley has been coaching for nearly 20 years now, in international as well as T20 franchise cricket. She is the head coach of Sydney Thunder in the WBBL, of Northern Superchargers in the women's Hundred, and now takes over from Charlotte Edwards as the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) in the WPL. She speaks about the rise and impact of the WPL, being one of the few female head coaches in the world, her coaching philosophy, and more.
You have had an extensive coaching experience, and for the last three years were the assistant coach with Delhi Capitals in the WPL. Even though this league is in its nascent stage compared to the WBBL and the Hundred, how has the WPL experience been so far? Is it becoming the most competitive league in the world?
Yeah, I've had a bit of a different experience to what I'm used to. Obviously, being an assistant coach and not a head coach, it was my first time being an assistant coach. So it was really nice for a change. Obviously, you're all aware when you're an assistant coach; it's a lot of fun. You don't have to generally have tough and hard conversations with players; the head coach usually does that. So I had a different perspective in the WPL.
My relationships with the players were really nice. And I think that's one thing I learnt as an assistant coach - how nicely you can connect with the players because you're talking to them a little bit more regularly than when you're a head coach. When you're a head coach, you've got to spread yourself around. And I think as an assistant coach, you spend a lot more time with the players than potentially as a head coach. So from that experience, I learnt that I think I could still do that as a head coach, have those connections, and make sure I spend the time with the players that I did as an assistant coach. So that was a nice change for me.
And the competition wise, I think the WPL having four overseas [players] in your starting line-up makes the competition potentially slightly stronger. But in the WBBL, I still think the domestic players overall in the competition are slightly stronger than the WPL at this stage. But the gap is closing really quickly. At WBBL, you're only allowed three overseas players [in the XI]. And then in the Hundred, you're only allowed three overseas players. So adding the fourth, I think, makes it very competitive [in the WPL]. The depth in teams is a lot stronger, I think, with those four overseas players throughout your line-up. But you can't beat India for putting on entertainment, [and] all the things that come in and around the WPL; the crowds, the conditions, [and] the boundary sizes are very challenging. They're very small compared to every other tournament.
So from that perspective, yeah, they're way in front of most competitions around the world at the minute.
One of the aspects of this league being very competitive was how we saw Delhi Capitals (DC) reach all three WPL finals, and MI win two of those (in 2023 and 2025). If you look back at those two finals, do you think MI were easily the better team on both occasions? Or do you think DC were equally good because they were topping the league tables in all three seasons, but they fell short on a couple of days?
[When] I look back on the finals, I think DC had a very consistent team, and probably had more people across the board to contribute to the team. I think Mumbai have a very strong core group of players that are world-class, and they relied probably a little bit more on those players throughout the round [robin] matches. But in saying that, I think it is changing year on year, meaning the domestic players are getting stronger, and they know what the competition is about. Like year one, the domestic players, they'd never done this sort of stuff before - playing in big crowds, under lights, [and in the] main stadiums. So I think Delhi had all international players that had already played and experienced that. So I think that's why we were very consistent over the first couple of seasons.
When it came to the finals, I thought the teams were very close. I thought whoever handled the pressure moments the most would win the match. And unfortunately for Delhi, in all three matches, when those pressure moments came, we weren't good enough. So in saying that, Mumbai, when those key moments happened, their players stood up and took it. And that was the difference between us winning and losing those three finals. We didn't take the moments and win the moments we needed to to win the match, which was disappointing.
And now that you're taking over as head coach at MI, such a successful side in these last three years, what do you think are your first couple of challenges as you take over in a side which already has a lot of things in place?
Yeah, I don't think I have a huge amount of challenges. I think we've got the consistency of a pretty similar team that we have had in the past. And we know how to win. They've played really well. And in key moments, they've been able to win those. So from that point of view, it's quite exciting. So I'll be hoping that we can do that again. I think we've made some nice changes in our auction. I think we've added to our squad, which will be good.
So challenges, I think there's not as many. The staff is pretty consistent. So the challenge for me is making those connections, the clarity in roles for players, and then building the relationships so they feel they're supported and they can go out and perform. And I'm backing them to do their role. So for me, it's just clarity, making sure we come together in our environment in the Mumbai way, which is really based around friendship and family and looking after each other. So I'll be just pushing the same things, and keeping that very consistent.
So challenge-wise, it's really more challenging for me, I think, than the playing group and the staff. For me, connecting and being clear with roles and clarity on what that looks like for the staff and the players. For everyone else, I think it's easy. It's just another year of WPL.
You're taking over from Charlotte Edwards. But since everyone has a different coaching, philosophical style and management style, how do you make sure you don't tinker too much with the winning culture of the team, but also make sure that you have all bases covered and things under your control?
Yeah, well, my coaching philosophy, you know, it is what it is. I've done it for a lot of years. I've grown with my philosophy. So it's still really important that when I come into this environment, I'm me and my authentic self. But I think a lot of my philosophy is built in and around what's already here, which was really nice to hear. So, obviously, family is massive to me to make sure everyone has that comfort, and feels supported through the good times and bad, [it's about] connection and getting to know people - not just as a cricketer, but as a person and knowing their backgrounds - and getting to know them is really important from a team's perspective but from an individual point of view as well.
Knowing their background, their story, all that sort of stuff I'm really big on and I'll be working on throughout my time. I know it can't all happen at once, but growing those relationships is really important. And connection with our fan base and as players, how we can bring them on a journey and give them time so that they follow us and support us. So how can we repay them in doing the little things to connect with our fan base. And then just the enjoyment in and around what we do. We're here to win a tournament. We're here for a month together. So how can we make the most of it and enjoy what we do, enjoy our company, and we get to the end and we walk away going, "you know what, that was one of the better ones. And I can't wait to be back and involved in the next WPL".
So for me, my philosophy is like trusting the process, leading with clarity, calm conversations, and care of people and players to make sure they feel safe and supported so they can go out and do their role the best way they can. So I find if I can work in all those aspects within an environment, it gives a player the best chance to go out and play how they want to play and how we want them to play for Mumbai.
You worked with Meg Lanning at DC, and now you will be with Harmanpreet Kaur at MI. How is it working with two captains who are so experienced and fairly successful as well? What are the things you're trying to ensure, and what are the things you don't change too much?
Well, I was lucky with Meg. I'd worked with her before at Perth Scorchers. She was captain when I was coach. And I've never worked with Harman. But for me, the same things apply, like building that connection with Harman, getting an understanding of how she'd like to work, and she knows this environment very well. And she's been a fantastic leader. So I'd be encouraging her to do those things she does really well. Me here is not going to really change that. But I like to build the relationship, [and] take some workload off them where I can, so they have a bit of downtime.
I know Harman's been very busy after the World Cup. So how can I support her off the field to give her that downtime? And then, it's very important for me that she's really comfortable with the team she walks out with. So having those conversations around the team and working together on what that looks like, and then for her to be really happy with what team she gets. And I'd be encouraging her to do what she does. She's a very good leader. She's really experienced; 95% of the time, she's going to make the right call. And I'd be encouraging her to continue that.
My job is here to have good conversations and work out what is our best team, what's our best strategy to move forward, and keeping this team evolving. So we're not standing still; we're still evolving our game and getting better as individuals and as a group. I'm really looking at the conversations we've had so far. It's nice, and we're getting to know each other. So yeah, I'm really excited about the next month continuing that journey for us.
You are the only female head coach right now in the WPL, and among the few leading women in other leagues too around the world now that franchise cricket is picking up. Even though the women's game has grown massively in the last 10-15 years, what are the challenges you face as a female head coach still in the franchise circuit?
I think personally for myself, I haven't faced many challenges. I've been really lucky I've been doing a head coaching role for up to my 20th year since I retired. And I've always been a head coach other than Delhi. So for me, personally, I've been really lucky. I suppose the women's game has evolved, and within that cycle, it's allowed me to get experienced. So now all these leagues are around, I feel like if I was going for one of the positions - if it was males and females - I've got just as much experience as the male cricketers. So I probably was very lucky that I started my journey a long time ago, and now, like a player, I'm sort of benefiting the reward of all these competitions, and I've got the opportunity to coach as a head coach.
I think a lot of female coaches are just starting their journey. So to pick up some of the roles are a little bit harder for them. But over time, I just see that changing. There's so many players coming out of the game, going into coaching. I feel in 10 years' time, the landscape will change a lot. But I will say, [in] the WBBL, two of the head coaches in the final were female. A female [coach] won the WBBL. The Hundred, I was a female coach. Charlotte, in the WPL, a female coach has won two out of three [titles].
So I do think there is a piece there about females coaching females, and able to get the best out of them. So I think that's very exciting, and I'd hope over the next 10 years when I'm watching WPL, there's a lot more female coaches within all franchise cricket.
Since you're saying some of the female players are taking up coaching only now, how do you see the evolution for them in the coming years since people like you and Charlotte Edwards have set examples?
Yeah, I think the door is open. I think a lot more people know it's possible. It's like playing. I'm a big believer on see it, be it. And the coaches that are coaching in the franchises and as female head coaches, they know it's possible now. So I have no doubt a player who retires, who wants to be involved in cricket, knows they can be a head coach of a franchise team. I think you're only going to see that more and more as they get the opportunities that are here now.
At MI as well, you're working with an all-female coaching staff, which I think is there for the first time. Could you tell us about the experience and the advantages of that?
You know what, I hadn't really thought of it until one of our first trainings here. We got a picture together, not realising it. It was just all the lead coaches and the coaching staff here. And then it came out on social media, and I looked at it and I thought, wow, that's the first time in my experience as a coach that I'm actually working in an all-female coaching group. So it's pretty exciting, and it shows the evolution that I've gone through. In the past, I'd be lucky to have one other female coach within a coaching group and to have an all-female coaching group.
I think there's one significant reason why that is happening, and it's [because] Mrs. Ambani [the owner] is at the top of the tree, and sometimes you need females in high positions to actually employ females. And I think that's one of probably the reasons why in this environment we've got an all-female coaching staff is because we've got a decision-maker who is female. So I think that changes potentially what you see. And she's very supportive in that area. And we've got females now that have coached a lot, and you're able to bring in a female as a lead coach. So as we talked about the evolution, I think that is here now and it is possible. And it's just so exciting for me to be actually working in an all-female coaching staff. It's new, it's quite new for me, which I just look back at and I go, "wow, what a journey."
It's taken 20 years to have a full female coaching staff, which you don't get that in men's cricket, right? They've had that since they started playing in the female sports; we have not. So it was really nice to see it happening.
Specifically for you as a head coach, what does a winning culture mean? Do you go beyond measuring a team's success in results and trophies?
I think if you get the culture right, you give yourself the best chance to win. I've played in a lot of teams, and over the years, I've played in cultures in teams that didn't have a very good culture, but you still managed to win. And I've played in other teams where the culture has been brilliant and we've won, but we've lost as well. We play high-performance sports, so the end result obviously you want to win and you want to set that up really clear so everyone knows. But I think it's a lot better, and it's a lot more enjoyable if you've got the culture right and you do win as a result, and that's the outcome. You do remember those trophies more than the ones with the culture not so great and you've won a trophy, I know that much. So for me, winning, that's why we're all here.
That's why we do high-performance sport. That's why the girls play at this level. Everyone knows the outcome, and that, in a month's time, you want to be standing there with that trophy. I think that's very clear. Mumbai set it up very clear. They want a winning culture, they've had a winning culture, so that won't change the drive. Everyone knows we're here to win. But if you can set up the culture in and around that to make it that family, people feel valued, they feel backed and supported when they go out to do their best. I think that's much more enjoyable, and that's what I definitely worry about first.
The last couple of months must have been really busy for you, starting with the auction. Now you're with MI, and the WPL is starting soon. So what does a typical pre-series preparation cycle look for you just before a T20 tournament is about to start?
Yeah, it's very busy. One, working with staff; making sure they're really clear on their roles, philosophy and style of play; [and] how we want to go about it, giving them ownership of their areas once we have established those common themes. So that has been busy because I've got all new staff except Kristen Beams [spin-bowling coach at MI], who I've worked with before. So that was really important to have those conversations with all the staff and support staff, S&C (strength and conditioning), [and] physios, and then it's really important to have for me the role clarity with each player, setting up our style of play, and how I'd like their approach to be in this WPL so we're all on the same page.
So for me, if I've ticked all those boxes, we've got a good environment in between all that. So when we get to game day, we're ready to go, and we don't start slow. So they're the key things for me. There's probably three: there's connecting, clarity of message, and style of play, and then making sure we start fast. And I'm hoping because we've kept a similar team, we've got a good chance of starting fast because most of the players have played together, and know their roles and what that looks like. So I'm hoping we can start fast. We're hoping some of the other teams are still working out combination and what's their best team.
You've been a part of a lot of finals, and victories as a player and as a coach as well, the recent one being at the Hundred last year. So how do you help your team prepare for finals as a coach? What matters more for you: for example, is it plans that have worked throughout the season or is it instincts, or do you just leave it to the captain?
I'm sure Harman doesn't want me just to leave it to her (laughs). There's a lot in there. From my experience, it's really important when you get to the final that you don't go away from what has worked, and you're not timid. If you're timid and you start slow, you get behind the eight ball, you get under pressure, and then it's tough. So [it's about] not going away from what they're doing and being able to execute your skills the same as what you would do in the round matches in a final. So I've been in many finals where you look back, and the first thing that comes to my mind is we were too timid. They didn't go out and put pressure on the other team early enough, and that's what we've done in the round [robin] matches. We put teams under pressure early, and that's where we've missed out.
So I think finals are all about composure, clarity and message, and make sure you start well. Mindset is very important in that you need to be really switched on, and ready to start and hold your nerve, but don't miss out on your strengths. So that's what I've learned over time, and being able to set up your environment and talk to your players about that as head coach. I'll be definitely relaying those messages so they're at the forefront of their thinking when they go out and play in big games.
Since you've been coaching in many leagues, and across continents and hemispheres, how do you tailor yourself for these different leagues, cultures, and now for the first time as a head coach in WPL?
You know what, I try not to change too much. I'm quite relaxed. I like having a laugh. I go with the flow. Sometimes in different coaches, in different cultures, your flow is different, right? India is a little bit tricky because sometimes we don't speak the same language. In Mumbai here, there's four players who don't speak English that well. So sometimes in India, I find I'm a little bit slower in how I go about things to make sure everyone's on the same page, and sometimes things take a little bit longer - but that's okay.
You know, that's the part of traveling the world in different environments. I try to adapt to each environment but my core philosophy stays the same. I like to empower players and staff to do things in the way they want to do it as long as it's connected to philosophy and style of play that I'm trying to deliver, and usually that works well, giving them ownership and just taking the time. And if we need to speed up, we have more meetings (laughs) to make sure we're all on the same page. I just like to have a good environment where people and staff feel valued. They're enjoying what they're doing because I think that really rubs off on a playing group as well.