Image for representational purposes only Sportzpics
Updated on
:
In 2020, after the Women’s T20 World Cup final brought 86,174 spectators to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar was asked when India should start a women’s premier league. “Probably yesterday,” Sthalekar had bluntly replied. Five years later, the dynamics of women’s cricket in India have changed. And the Women’s Premier League (WPL) continues to play an important role.
The third season of the franchise league was testament to its rising popularity. It is widely acknowledged that WPL’s existence has led to general awareness regarding the women’s game. For the first time, the competition was spread over four cities and crowds came in large numbers to support the teams. It would have been unthinkable a decade ago. With India hosting the ODI World Cup later this year, the event is expected to break attendance records for the women’s game.
The competition has benefited Indian talent in two ways. The money these players have earned at auctions over the past three years has shown young women cricketers how lucrative the profession can be. This in turn has led to a mushrooming of training centres exclusively for women across the country. The WPL is also a platform where up-and-coming Indian players get to meet international stars and grow their own games. Twenty-year-old Kashvee Gautam was one such example this season. Playing for Gujarat Giants after missing the previous season to injury, Gautam not only bowled the most overs for her team, but also took the most wickets. She even looked composed with the bat.
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The competition is still largely dominated by overseas players, especially all-rounders. The top three run-scorers at this edition are players from England, Australia and West Indies. Not a single Indian bowler is among the top five wicket-takers in WPL 3. The Indian players are getting to learn from the best, but they are hardly getting any opportunity to execute it through the current format of the game, as domestic players are relegated to the bench more often than not. Perhaps the solution would be to add more teams to the competition to give exposure to more domestic players. If the Indian cricket board manages to address these issues, WPL could turn India into an unstoppable force in women’s cricket.
