New Delhi: In a country where cricket was always considered to be synonymous with men, the existence and success of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is as add-on to the entire ecosystem of the sport. The concept of playing between the 22 yards used to be alien to women in the past but the WPL, since its inception in 2023, has provided a perfect pathway for women in the country to excel in the sport.
The fact that women’s cricket came into existence much later than the men’s cricket and the countrywomen are not as talented as their counterparts seems to be a thing of the past as more and more women are getting closer and closer towards the game as leagues such as the WPL have given them an opportunity to think of cricket as a career option and utilise the opportunity of being surrounded by variety of talent.
BCCI’s contribution noteworthy
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) contribution towards restoring some amount of parity can’t be ignored as the Indian cricket board and members of the fraternity are leaving no stone unturned and providing ample opportunities for young women in the country to equally excel in the game. This is not a mere perception that the WPL, in just two years, has managed to attract a lot of women towards cricket as stats and numbers from multiple sources and academies are there to back our thought that the percentage of women willing to learn the tricks of the trade is growing significantly in the nation.
Significant increase in number of enrollments
All of us remember the 15-year-old girl Myra, who became an internet sensation few months ago after she was spotted imitating the action of Indian pace spreadhead Jasprit Bumrah, aims to become a fast bowler. She trains at the NICE cricket academy in Bengaluru, which has 70 trainees in total out of which 30 are girls in the age group of 13 to 16, as per a report on Espncricinfo. After the video went viral, Myra was called by Gujarat Giants for a trial and some other franchises also expressed interest in the young talent. She among some other girls believe that WPL has given an opportunity that previously did not exist.
Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar’s academy in Pune has also witnessed a significant rise in the number of enrollments. The report mentions that there are almost 200 girls training at the academy which has prompted them to hire more coaches to fulfill the need. Another famous Mumbai coach, Prashant Shetty, who has worked with the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Prithvi Shaw, has noticed an increase of 30 per cent in the number of girls coming to his academy since the popularity of the WPL.
Not only the inception and eventual popularity of the WPL has changed the perception, the performance of the existing women cricketers in the league is a big reason that is attracting a lot of young girls towards the sport. The likes of Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Pratika Rawal have take the women’s cricket by storm especially in the WPL and they are emerging as heroes for millions of inspiring young girls.
How WPL acts like a life-changer
Apart from the domestic cricket and the bilateral series’, that have nourished and enhanced the lives of budding cricketers’ in the country, WPL has been serving its purpose in providing the best opportunities to the plethora of talent the country has. WPL, since the last two years and more has been providing players a chance to play on a big stage and improve their skills. The league has also been acting as the perfect platform for the players to achieve their goals of playing for the national side by grooming them in the right direction, teaching them new aspects of the game especially the an attacking mindset.
The league has been equipped with better training facilities for all the cricketers with some talented names taking care of the training and facilities. It is also helping the women cricketers understand their role in a much better manner by providing constant training and specialisation especially in the off-season. Surrounded with talents from all across the globe, WPL provides a perfect platform for cricketers to pick and learn things from their overseas counterparts as well.
The third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will kickstart on February 14 with a game between Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
