MUMBAI: The Women’s Premier League (WPL 2023) made an impressive debut and ended on a promising note for India’s budding women cricketers but there seems to be a lot of room for improvement after a hurriedly organized first season. Is.
WPL was played at two stadiums in Mumbai in which some of the world’s best cricketers made special appearances but except for left-arm spinner Saika Ishaq, so much local talent could not come to the fore as was expected.
The five-team competition ended on Sunday with Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur leading her side to the title as they face Australian cricket legend Meg Lanning-led in the final. Scores were above 200 runs in many matches during the tournament while the boundaries were short of 42 to 44 meters.
Hayley Mathews of Mumbai won the Purple Cap by taking 16 wickets. Became the winner out of which four wickets remained in the final. And Nate Skriver Brunt ‘Overall’ She was the top performer, scoring 332 runs and taking 10 wickets. Mumbai Indians’ Ishaq took 15 wickets, while Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja made their mark on the big stage but the gap between the Indian domestic circuit and the world’s best players was stark.
Harmanpreet admitted that Indian players did not get many roles and playing opportunities but added value to their team with their fielding, citing the examples of Mumbai Indians’ Amanjot Kaur and Jintimani Kalita. The Indian skipper also hoped that the young and ‘uncapped’ Indian players will be wiser from their experience and they will understand what they need to do to bridge the gap between foreign players and themselves.
Delhi head coach Jonathan Batty has a message for the Indian youngsters to work on their game and fitness for the second season. Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Smriti Mandhana, had to face defeat in five consecutive matches. The Indian player admitted that she found it difficult to lead a team full of players of bigger stature and more experience than him.
She could not contribute with the bat for RCB which has players like Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine, Megan Schutt, and Renuka Singh. Players like Healy and Sophie Eccleston have expressed their wish that ‘Home and Away’ Matches (at home and away team grounds) should be organized so that teams get the advantage of home fans. It remains to be seen whether the BCCI will organize the next WPL ‘home-away’ and Decides whether to organize it in the format or not.
