In March, 15 years after the Indian Premier League transformed the fortunes of male cricketers, India finally inaugurated a Women’s Premier League (WPL). “The Women’s Premier League is a game-changer,” says BCCI secretary Jay Shah. “By establishing a professional league exclusively for women’s cricket, BCCI has created more opportunities for female players to compete at a higher level, gain exposure, and develop their game. This has helped in identifying and nurturing young talent which will ultimately strengthen women’s cricket in India.”
It’s a five-team tournament, but competitors already have had a head start. The Women’s Big Bash League in Australia is almost a decade old. The Women’s Hundred in England has been around since 2021.
The delay is not surprising. Women’s cricket came under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2006. The Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), which handled affairs until then, was poorly funded, badly run and largely ignored. Sponsorship for matches of the women’s team were sought on a series-by-series basis even as their male counterparts starred in high-profile television ads and struck lucrative commercial deals. Even under BCCI’s management, things have been slow to change. Pay parity – an equal match fee for centrally contracted men and women players – was announced only in October 2022, after the women’s team made the final of the 2017 ODI World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.
For India’s young girls, with a talent for the game and a dream to play on a bigger platform, WPL will certainly help. One of the obstacles facing women pursuing sport, especially in smaller towns and villages, is the fear that it can’t make for a lucrative career. But more than 10 million new viewers tuned in to watch the final of the inaugural WPL edition between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals on JioCinema. The platform claims that it is the highest viewership for any women’s event in the world.
“WPL has also had a positive impact on the perception of women’s cricket, encouraging greater interest and participation from fans, sponsors, and media,” Shah says. “This increased visibility and investment will lead to improved infrastructure, better training facilities, and enhanced support systems for women cricketers across the globe. It has empowered female athletes and paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable sporting culture in India.”
Much needs to happen before that dream comes true. The inaugural season of the tournament was confined to a three-week window in one city, Mumbai. The Indian women’s team hasn’t played a game since February. In contrast, the men’s team is in action almost all year.
Shah says that the BCCI intends to find a separate window for the tournament from next season. “From the second season, WPL will shift to home and away,” he says. “This means that fans across India will be able to witness it. The feeling of playing home matches in front of thousands of cheering fans is different.”
The women know that already. They’ve experienced it abroad and can’t wait to feel the same thrill in their own country.
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