Some have called it a watershed moment in women’s cricket, others a “revolution”; the maiden edition of Women’s Premier League (WPL), which ushers in the franchise cricket for women in India, is already a win even before the first ball is played. Just like the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which started almost 15 years ago, has grown to become the second biggest sports league in the world, second only to USA’s National Football League (NFL), the same can be expected from the WPL, which has already assumed a spot among the most valuable women’s sports leagues in the world.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of the WPL. We have all been waiting for the WPL to start for a couple of years and now that it’s here, I am super excited,” says Shreyanka Patil, an all-rounder, who will play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team. “I have been a big RCB fan right from when I started watching cricket and now to play for RCB is a dream come true,” she adds. Similarly, bowler Anjali Sharvani, who was bought by UP Warriorz for Rs 55 lakh, “feels amazing and is pumped” for the impending league as “it’s the biggest platform for us to get to play alongside different cricketers and learn from their experiences,” she says.
Australian all-rounder Grace Harris, who will join Sharvani in the UP team, says, “I’ve watched the men’s tournament for a few years and always wanted a women’s version. I’m excited to join different teammates for the tournament and to see how each of them play their cricket,” she says while sharing her excitement of being a part of the WPL.
Excitement surely runs high, especially since the auctions saw several tall and young athletes securing fat paychecks from the five franchises that splashed a total of Rs 59.5 crore for 87 players, including 57 Indian players. These women, representing the five franchises—Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Giants (GG), and UP Warriorz (UW), will compete in 22 games to be played from March 4 to 26.
Crucial for franchises
A major platform for the players, the WPL is crucial for the franchises too, especially the first edition which might decide the future of the league itself. While three of them—RCB, MI and DC—are IPL veterans, Adani Group-owned Gujarat Giants and Capri Global Holdings-owned UP Warriorz are featuring in the premier league for the first time.
While the franchise rights of the five teams were sold at a whopping Rs 4,669.99 crore, Adani Sportsline came at t
“WPL is going to be the biggest women’s sport not just in India but a global leader in women’s sport in general. It will be the biggest sports property after the men’s IPL in India and the second largest franchise cricket in the world, only after its men’s counterpart,” an Adani spokesperson says.
For Rajesh Sharma, managing director of Capri Global Holdings, the intent behind owning a WPL team goes beyond money. “From our perspective, it is to be able to promote women athletes and ensure the best opportunities for them. WPL is providing a great platform for women cricketers to rival the men’s game in our cricket-crazy nation,” he says.
“How can Delhi Capitals not be a part of the women’s league? First, Delhi is the national capital. And we are a part of such a rich sporting culture,” says Dhiraj Malhotra, CEO of Delhi Capitals, on the intent behind having a team in the WPL. “When it comes to women’s cricket, we believe in the sport and the direction in which it is heading,” he adds.
A query to MI and RCB didn’t elicit any response at the time of writing this story.
Spotlight on teams, players
As the first and the highest-sold, world number three Smriti Mandhana, who will lead the RCB side, is the one to watch out for. Donning the number 18 jersey, just like Virat Kohli, who also leads the Bengaluru side in the men’s league, it will be interesting to see if she can fulfill the unfulfilled wish of the RCB fans to see their team lift the premier league trophy. Playing alongside Mandhana will be Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine and Heather Knight, among others.
Coming to MI, which spent its entire team purse of Rs 12 crore, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Pooja Vastrakar, among others, will be interesting to look out for. “It’s a decent team they have assembled,” says former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
For Chopra, UP Warriorz’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma might come out to be “the most valuable player” from India’s point of view. Top wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy of Australia, world no 1 T20 batter Tahlia McGrath and hard-hitter Grace Harris, along with bowlers like England’s Lauren Bell and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail, are also in the mix. “They have assembled a good team. They are here for the first time, and they have actually done the right thing,” the commentator says.
“We felt it was important to have a good blend of youth and experience and backup options to respond to any situation during the tournament. All-rounders are, of course, very important in the modern game. Players that bring in more than one skill tend to be more valuable as they allow for a better balance in the squad. We believe our coaching staff and management have put together a strong squad and now there is excitement to see it all unfold from March 4,” Capri Global Holdings’ Sharma adds.
Coming to DC, “it is a balanced team with seasoned bowlers and young batters. This team will go far,” CEO Malhotra says. Apart from Indian stars Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, the team also has Australian skipper Meg Lanning and South African Marizanne Kapp in its fold.
While it’s a mix of Indian and foreign players for other teams, Gujarat Giants has gone big on international players and have world no 1 all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, Deandra Dottin, and Sophia Dunkley, among others, by their side. “We are happy with the squad we assembled,” the Adani spokesperson says. “The rest of it, in terms of combinations in the team, I believe we have some of the best brains in the business in our think tank, and they have identified player roles such that it works best to put all-round performance,” the spokesperson adds.
For former cricketer and commentator Anjum Chopra, it goes beyond individual players and performances. “There are several Indian players to watch out for, from where they begin to where they end and the journey after that as it is not just about this tournament but also what they learn from it. There are many contemporary and young players, it will be crucial to see what they learn and can apply in future games,” she says.
For 20-year-old Patil of RCB, “the most exciting part about the WPL for me is playing and interacting with the India internationals and overseas players. Also, we will get to work with different coaches. I feel, at the end of the WPL, I will be much more confident. I think the biggest impact that the WPL will have is it will change the mindset of domestic cricketers. It will make the game faster and make all of us more aggressive,” adds RCB’s Patil, who recently received the CricHeroes Awards 2022, which recognises grassroots talent.
Apart from Patil, another CricHeroes awardee Kiran Navgire was picked up by UP Warriorz for Rs 30 lakh in the maiden edition of WPL. “Two of CricHeroes’ main objectives are to give a platform to talented cricketers to showcase their skills and have their talent recognised. We are really happy that we could provide the platform for these talented young cricketers to effectively chase their dreams and help them finally get recognised by the WPL franchisees,” says Abhishek Desai, founder, CricHeroes.
The Mumbai factor
While the WPL is similar to the IPL in style and format, the former will only be played in Mumbai, unlike its men’s counterpart that is played across several cities. All 22 games will be played at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium and Brabourne Stadium.
“We would have liked to have played in Ahmedabad in front of our home fans,” says the Adani spokesperson on whether it might be a drawback, in terms of fans’ support and the overall team spirit, of having no games on its home turf. However, the franchise doesn’t expect any less support in Mumbai from its fans.
The same is expected by the teams from Delhi and UP, who believe the venue hardly puts any dent in the fans’ support and the team spirit. “The beauty of the WPL is that it allows players and support staff from all spheres of society and nationalities to come together and work towards a common goal. From our perspective, the aim is to play an aggressive and entertaining brand of cricket that will resonate with fans from across the world and not just from our geography,” UP Warriorz’s Sharma says.
However, the young player of RCB hopes to play on her home ground soon. “I am looking forward to hitting a boundary or taking a wicket and hearing the RCB anthem. I hope I get to play at the Chinnaswamy next year,” Patil adds.
Expectations run high
“We expect it to be nothing short of extraordinary,” says Capri Global Holdings’ Sharma on the response from sponsors and audiences he is expecting for the first WPL ever. “I can say that I won’t be surprised if the response surpasses even the most optimistic projections, just like it happened in the first season of the men’s IPL. One can literally feel the buzz and we are certain that it is here to stay,” he adds.
“We are surprised with the kind of response we have received from sponsors, fans, and all the important stakeholders. It’s like deja vu, what happened in 2008 ahead of men’s IPL is all over again,” the Adani spokesperson adds.
At the same time, there has been a lot of interest from the sponsors, the Delhi Capitals’ CEO says. However, the lack of sufficient time can be a constraint here. “It is tricky, it is also slightly different because nobody knows where the sport is going. The sponsors want to put in the money. They believe this is the way to go, that this is the future. But there is no time, as for sponsorship, the biggest thing is leveraging the partnership, but right now, they can’t do that because there’s no time. But we have still got a lot of interest, we have still closed a lot of deals,” Malhotra adds.
‘In it for the long haul’
Although hope and excitement are high, the outcome of the tournament can only be anticipated as of now. A question arises if the teams will remain invested notwithstanding its outcome.“We are definitely in it for the long haul and believe in the potential of this sport. We are here to stay and contribute through our investment in WPL and grassroots programmes,” says the Adani spokesperson.
“We believe in the idea that this league presents. While we expect it to do better than most optimistic projections, we plan to stay invested in this league regardless of the success of the first season, because we realise the immense potential of the WPL and how it can transform the landscape of women’s sport in India,” UP Warriorz’s Sharma says.
Similarly, “whether it gets popular or not, we are here to stay,” the Delhi Capitals CEO says, adding: “Also, I do not see it not getting popular. If you see women’s sports over some time, especially cricket, it has grown. Look at the women’s World Cup, or T20 World Cup, or the Commonwealth Games; women’s cricket is becoming increasingly prominent. When the T20 World Cup first started, the men’s and women’s tournaments used to happen simultaneously, where the latter was largely overshadowed by the former. The men’s tournament, in fact, supported the women’s tournament when you think in terms of sponsorship and commercials. But today, it is a standalone event.”
Leveraging the sport
With increased focus, investments, and the world’s top players participating, the WPL is seen as a strong proposition to leverage women’s cricket, both domestically and internationally, and also how it is seen.“I hope the tournament is a grand success, and hopefully, a lot of people especially young women will start taking up the sport,” says commentator Anjum Chopra. “I hope it becomes a career proposition and opportunity for many present and future women cricketers. I also hope women’s cricket will turn a new leaf,” the former cricketer adds.
Players, too, hope and anticipate the same to happen. “WPL will change the course of women’s cricket, both domestically and internationally, because all the domestic players will get an opportunity to learn and grow in all different aspects and as different players coming from around the world it’s a great platform where we get to learn how as individuals prepare,” says Sharvani of UP Warriorz.
“I think it will have such a positive impact on India’s domestic players as well as their young international players. To be around some of the best players in the world and to play against them can only be beneficial for your own game. I feel India should invest heavily in their domestic players throughout this competition and have the international players as an added bonus,” Harris of UP Warriorz says. “Training can only get you so far with skill development. To get better you need to play games and be in situations where you are under pressure and learn how to execute your skills,” she adds.
“We strongly believe that we are about to see a high-quality competition during this tournament, which will only boost the popularity of women’s cricket, especially in our country where this sport is like a religion. Not only that, but we will also see new relatable role models emerging from the league, which will boost the participation of women across sports. The WPL will also transform the way female athletes are viewed in this country and we are very excited to be part of it,” UP Warriorz’s Sharma adds.