The phrase ‘expedite growth’ might make it seem like a corporate target for a multinational company but it’s not too far removed with respect to the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which is still in its infancy stage. Into its third year now, the WPL has grown exponentially and with the talent pool spanning eight countries apart from India and has given the national team a few more options, especially in white-ball cricket to choose from.
Whether it was Shreyanka Patil in the last two seasons, Asha Sobhana, Kanika Ahuja and Saika Ishaque in the inaugural season or Saima Thakor, S Sajana last year, the growth is tangible and palpable but there’s still, a lot of work to be done. The established brands Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning in the first two seasons has helped in the advertisement and penetration of the league and the women’s game in general beyond the traditional markets but as a whole, it is yet to fully bloom.
It is also to do with the limited number of teams, five. The concise number means that the tournament is packed into a 3-4-week window. The recall value and the loyalty factor of certain players with a team is slowly building, especially since the Indian captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana won the titles, but it will take a little more time with the women’s cricket calendar still being sparsely populated, especially in franchise cricket. The emotional connection for the fans has slowly begun to develop but will need a little more simmering to get into all Red Army and Blue army rivalries.
The overseas stars have helped a great deal. Sophie Devine’s 36-ball 99 or Ellyse Perry’s herculean one-person show or Hayley Matthews’ unbelievable show all through the season in 2023 after almost going unsold have been shining lights. This year Deandra Dottin will be marking her territory. But as Ricky Ponting repeatedly says, it’s an Indian league. Yes, there have been plenty of examples of the seasoned domestic performers finding a new lease of life, the ones on the fringe getting a chance to get into the national side and the established ones showing what they can do with a bit more freedom.
Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry, two showstoppers of women’s cricket playing together have had a far-reaching impact on the lanes and nooks and corners of the country. The likes of Shabnam Shakil, Kranti Goud, Saika Ishaque and many others belong to humble households and the enormous paychecks help in the overall development and improving their lives and livelihoods. The success after that feels sweet.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoped that the third season also throw up some of the names and that the talent comes through and the regulars pick up their form with a home ODI World Cup scheduled for the year.
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While MI and RCB have won a title each respectively, the Delhi Capitals would want to break the jinx having fallen short twice at the final hurdle. The Capitals have made one key change by getting the Scottish wicketkeeper batter Sarah Bryce to be able to play with five foreign players in the line-up, which will extend their batting side of things even further with an option to play either one of Annabel Sutherland or Jess Jonnasen.
The third season kicks off in Vadodara, which recently hosted a few matches of the national women’s team but the WPL will be held for the first time in the city and would sort of be a home game for the Giants, even though they are based in Ahmedabad. The only other team with no IPL subsidiary, the UP Warriorz will also be having a taste of local support this time around with four matches in Lucknow in the first week of March.
These are unchartered territories for the women’s game and the WPL but if expansion and growth is the target, you have to start somewhere. The crowd will naturally throng the stadiums in Mumbai and Bengaluru but there will be a few keen eyes on the two newer venues. The stakes are as high as ever with a World Cup to follow but if the first two seasons are any indication, we are in for a treat.
