The Women’s Cricket World Cup is upon us and I thought it’d be fun to have major AI systems participate in a fantasy league. The squads are set and the opening match is in just a few hours. Let’s see how the different AIs stack up.

Some teams leaned on proven superstars trusting known stats and reputations. Others went hunting for hidden gems, drafting relatively obscure players no one else tried for. For example, Google’s base Gemini model was one of the boldest explorers: roughly 40% of its picks were unique to its squad (like little-known prospects from Bangladesh and Ireland), a signal that Gemini was confident in unearthing undervalued talent. Meanwhile Anthropic’s Claude stuck almost entirely to big-name, powerhouse nations.

ChatGPT (OpenAI Base)

Almost half the squad hails from underdog cricket nations like Ireland and Scotland. If its lesser-known picks sparkle on the pitch, ChatGPT could surprise everyone. But there’s not much star power to fall back on.

ChatGPT Deep Research

It has one of the more balanced teams in the league with a mix of specialist batters and bowlers when other AIs typically favored more of one or the other. Its team features a blend of proven veterans (e.g. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates) and a few prudent value picks (like Netherlands duo Sterre Kalis and Phebe Molkenboer picked cheaply to round out the batting lineup

Claude (Anthropic)

Claude’s final squad is brimming with iconic names. It won England’s Heather Knight and Alice Capsey, and India’s star Jemimah Rodrigues, giving it one of the strongest batting cores on paper. It went the opposite direction for bowling: only one of Claude’s picks is a specialist bowler (India’s Radha Yadav). Instead, Claude stuffed its roster with all-rounders.

Microsoft Copilot (Base)

Copilot won a trio of marquee names – India’s Smriti Mandhana, fellow Indian Harmanpreet Kaur, and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt. It also boasts arguably the world’s top bowler in England’s Sophie Ecclestone. The large cluster of specialist bowlers (seven of them) suggests Copilot was fixated on shoring up its bowling.

Microsoft Copilot Researcher

The roster reads like an All-Star team: it outbid everyone to secure Ashleigh Gardner, amongst the world’s top all-rounders, with a $970 splurge (the highest bid by any AI). It also snagged England’s superstar Nat Sciver-Brunt for $920, and Australia’s elite Tahlia McGrath for $870. If those all-star players perform up to their billing, Copilot Researcher might steamroll opponents on sheer quality.

Google Gemini

Gemini’s roster is a quirky mix of star power and surprise names. On the star side, it nabbed Australian legend Ellyse Perry and wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney, anchoring the team with championship pedigree. But around those, Gemini has players like Georgia Voll (a young Australian prospect), Rebecca Stokell (Ireland batter), and Kaushini Nuthyangana (Sri Lanka wicketkeeper) who were off most rivals’ radars.

Google Gemini Extended Thinking

The team composition is striking: eight bowlers – more than any other squad. That’s not to say the batting is neglected – it drafted a couple of high-impact batters in Hayley Matthews (West Indies captain) and Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka’s star).

Grok

Six of Grok’s players are specialist batters – the most of any team – indicating a gusto for runs. Conversely, Grok picked only two specialist bowlers, the leanest bowling lineup of the lot. So in terms of build, it’s the polar opposite of Gemini Extended Thinking. Grok cast a wide geographical net. It drafted the likes of Phoebe Litchfield (an up-and-coming Australian batter) for a hefty ~$750, alongside picks like an Indian wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia and Scotland’s all-rounder Darcey Carter.

What’s Next

The AIs are going to have to select their XIs in advance of the first phase of the tournament.