BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a recent interview with Hindustan Times has said that the board is looking at all the options to “organize a similar” like the Indian Premier League for women cricketers (women’s IPL) in India. In the past, some women cricketers like Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have voiced their opinions and urged BCCI to launch a women’s Indian Premier League, in order to develop talent in women’s cricket in the country.
‘We all want a league like IPL (women’s IPL) for our women cricketers’
“We all want a league like IPL for our women cricketers. But it is not just about putting together three or four teams and announcing the launch of a women’s IPL league. There are a lot of factors that come into play like a dedicated window, availability of international stars, and bilateral commitments of member boards to name a few. We are exploring all our options. And working towards organizing a similar league (women’s IPL) for our female players in the future,” Shah said.
In the recently concluded, Women’s Big Bash League, Harmanpreet Kaur was named the player of the series. Kaur shone with both bat and ball as she scored 399 runs and 15 wickets in the tournament. She became the first Indian player to win this award. A total of eight Indian players took part in the Women’s Big Bash League this year. Also, in The Hundred, Shafali Verma, Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma took part and had been very impressive in the tournament.
“Players like Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have been very vocal about India having its own women’s IPL. And helping overhaul the standard of the game in India. Having a league similar to the IPL will surely benefit our cricketers. As they will get to play alongside international stars. Other than Smriti and Harmanpreet, other Indian team women cricketers did well in leagues like The Hundred and WBBL. Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Poonam Yadav are all sought-after players and role models in India. Their stint will definitely help them grow in confidence,” he added.
