Storming gentlemen’s game

That is because the women cricketers are steadily storming into this ‘male-dominated’ domain and proving their talents and capabilities of smashing balls and knocking stumps out in the stadiums. It is some of the spectacular performances that women cricketers from all over the cricket-playing nations have displayed that have compelled cricket fans to look into what magic women cricketers can do.

While many countries have devised different ways to encourage women’s participation in cricket, including the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia, which consists of city-based franchises, the biggest attempt at this is the inauguration of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The term ‘Women’s Premier League’ has been in and around the Indian cricket circuit for a long time. Whether it was the common people, the media, or even the women cricketers, everyone wanted a T20 series, much like the IPL, where women from different parts of the world will come together and play for a single franchise. The persistent efforts had borne fruit when, in February 2023, the BCCI announced the schedule of the Women’s Premier League, which was scheduled from March 4 to March 26, 2023.

For all the unversed, WPL walks on the same line as IPL, but with minute differences. Unlike the IPL, which consists of 10 teams, the WPL consists of five; the pre-existing ones from the IPL are the Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Delhi Capitals (DC), along with two new teams, the Gujarat Giants (GG), and the UPW (Warriors). Another difference is that in the IPL, every team can only have four overseas players in their playing squad. But in the WPL, the only team that bought an associate player from the ICC is allowed to have five overseas players in their starting 11.

True to the immense expectations that the WPL carried, it was evident from the electrifying opening match between MI and GG that this T20 franchise tournament is making heads turn for all the right reasons. All the matches have been nail-biting, and each and every hard work put in by the girls actually shows that WPL was something everyone needed and needed for long.

While the Women’s Premier League is a plethora of lucrative opportunities and a morale booster for each and every woman cricketer, here are some of the ways in which the WPL will benefit the entire cricketing world.

A Launch Pad for a Million Dreams

The WPL will benefit not only the girls who are a part of the league but also the ones who are dreaming to play cricket and make the game their profession. It is through WPL that people are getting to know and recognise the names of many women cricketers, who otherwise do not get enough fame for their immense talent. For example, before this WPL, very few people knew someone named Saika Ishaque. But now, she is the star pitcher of the Mumbai Indians and the current purple-cap holder in the Premier League. The MI fans as well as the other cricket fans are already calling her “a star in the making’.

Another such story is that of Shreyanka Patil. Playing for RCB, Shreyanka has not only impressed everyone with her bowling, but she has also proved her mettle with batting, thus coming out as one of the most impactful all-rounders of the WPL so far. Not only are there Indian players, but there are many international players who are impressing everyone with the kind of talent that they have brought with them. Whether it’s MI’s Hayley Mathew’s explosive batting as an opener, the only American player and DC’s star bowler, Tara Norries, ripping through the opponents’ batting order, or Ellyse Perry, who is emerging as RCB’s saviour in matches, WPL can be very rightfully regarded as a ‘Launching Pad that has Launched a Million dreams’.

In India, we are familiar with all the names of the men’s cricket team, but when it comes to the women’s cricket team, we hardly know the names except for a very few. But this WPL is slowly breaking the translucent glass that was there between the women cricketers and the cricket fans. The audience has steadily started to feel more connected with the female players.

Building camaraderie between players

WPL has provided an arena for all the international and national cricketers to know each other and develop a bond beyond cricket. There are many cricketers who play for their respective countries, and they only meet the other players as opponents. But in the WPL, the players are exposed to each other’s weaknesses and strengths, and they get to know each other beyond just as rivals. For instance, when RCB captain Smriti Mandhana was criticised for her poor performance in the league matches, her teammate Ellyse Perry backed her and said that the audience would soon see an even better version of the former.

Financially Empowering the Women Cricketers

Not only in terms of respect and recognition, the WPL will also benefit the women cricketers financially. Along with the common stereotype that cricket is not a woman’s cup of tea, many such young girls are also denied the opportunity to take up this profession because it is believed that cricket will not fetch them enough money to survive. But in the WPL, almost 10 Indian players have earned more than 1 crore, including players like Smriti Mandhana, who earned 3.4 crore to join as the captain of RCB. Also, many uncapped players like Saika Ishaque have earned 10 lakhs for joining the Mumbai Indians.

Influx of New Talents

WPL has succeeded in bringing in a whirlpool of new talents, both national and international. It was stated that around 1500 players had registered for the league. Just like IPL, WPL will also become a ‘talent hunting league,” where girls from all walks of life take part in the auction and the lucky ones get selected by a franchise team. In such a way, it not only helps the Indian Women’s Cricket Team to find young talents and boost the squad’s strength, but it also helps the other international teams to locate and take in new fresh faces in their playing teams.

On a larger perspective, WPL will not only benefit the cricket-playing girls but every girl in India. The fact that the entire country is celebrating and appreciating every cricketing stroke and swing by women cricketers is a proud moment for every girl who once upon a time wanted to lift a bat but was discouraged by the saying that girls don’t play “gentlemen’s games.”.

The WPL will also boost the ruling government’s many schemes and initiatives like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, “Khelega India Tabhi Toh Badhega India,” etc. The government is working diligently to encourage women to come out of their homes and play whatever sport they want. Examples like Mary Kom, Sania Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Mithali Raj, Sania Mirza, and PT Usha are some of the greatest female sports icons of India. Hence, WPL will bring in more such female icons and inspirations for all the young girls in India to look up to and dare to achieve what they have dreamt of.

Now that WPL has actually manifested into this large-scale tournament that we are witnessing today, it is up to us to continue the legacy of it and make sure that WPL doesn’t end up like a puff in the air. There should be genuine interest shown in watching WPL matches more and increasing its viewership, both online and in the stadiums. In order to regulate the total costs, the WPL matches are currently being held in Navi Mumbai stadiums. But there should be future attempts to take the WPL to all the home grounds so that all the other teams can get the feeling where the entire stadium cheers for their state-owned team. Lastly, the hype and encouragement that the female players are now getting shouldn’t be limited to the WPL period only. We should all keep praising and cheering for the women cricketers, and for that matter, any women who are indulged in any sports, because after all, wherever and whatever they are doing, they are representing the ‘Women of the World’.