The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League was an immense success with games under lights in front of packed stands, including a full house for the final.
The benefits of the tournament are clear as India went on to win gold in the Asian Games and the tournament also provided a peek into the amount of eyeballs that women’s cricket can attract with lots of interest from the sponsors as well. It’s also important to acknowledge the financial benefits that such tournaments can bring for the players.
2024 might be the year where women’s cricket sees an even greater influx of funds and sponsorship. That money can then be funneled into grassroots development as well as having quality academies and coaches in more and more places in India.
The players can then use that money to develop their skills further by roping in a personal coach or focusing on other areas like nutrition, strength and conditioning or psychology. It also acts as motivation for a lot of young girls to play sports and their parents will also back them more when they see that there are great career opportunities in the field of sports as well.
In my capacity as the India captain, I’ve seen the kind of talent that exists in our country and the potential that our team has. Captaining Mumbai Indians in the WPL was a truly unique experience as I saw some very promising talent emerge. With the T20 World Cup scheduled and the second season of the WPL, forecasting greater involvement from sponsors as numerous brands, at the international, national as well as local levels have identified the tremendous potential and opportunities for growth that exist in women’s cricket and women’s sports at large. The final of the inaugural WPL saw more than 10 million viewers tune in, which is an all-time high for any women’s cricket match. It is also heartening to see more and more brands wanting to associate with women’s cricket and realise the commercial potential that women’s cricket and women’s sports holds. In the years to come, I see women’s cricket only going from strength to strength.
(The author is captain of India Women’s Cricket Team)
