The Impact of WPL on the Rise of Women's Cricket

(WPL 2024 captains photoshoot)

In the realm of cricket, women had been overshadowed for a long time by men's cricket. But in the last few years, the perception has changed with the launch of the iconic Women's Premier League (WPL) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This Women's T20 league has emerged as a way through which the female cricketers will be able to bring their talents to the limelight. Along with that, the Women's Premier League has brought various players even to the international scenario for their respective countries, playing an important role in their selection committees. Not only does the WPL offer professional opportunities to the players, but it also provides empowerment and equal access to the players. These reasons have contributed to the growth of Women's cricket with the help of the Women's Premier League. Let's have a look at the contribution of WPL towards the growth of Women's cricket, which has given a vibrant picture to the sport.

Emergence of WPL

Having a look at the success of the T20 format across Women's cricket made the BCCI to bring out their own Women's T20. This was launched in the year 2018 with the name Women's T20 Challenge but only had three teams in the tournament, due to which it was able to run only for a few seasons till the year 2022. The India Women's team performed well in the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup, due to which the cricket board thought of bringing out a T20 League for the Women, just like the IPL. However, with just three teams in the Women's T20 Challenger, it was not able to see success and much enthusiasm among the cricket fans.

(Sourav Ganguly with Delhi Capitals captain, Meg Lanning)

In February 2022, Sourav Ganguly, who was the President of BCCI at that time, brought down the idea of establishing a T20 League for Women, similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ganguly said that this tournament should replace the Women's T20 Challenger, and it could help to promote Women's cricket in India. Following this idea, various meetings took place, and the plans were revised for the month of August. This helped the BCCI to announce the first season of the Women's Premier League (WPL), which will be played in March 2023 and will consist of five teams. The Chief Secretary of BCCI, Jay Shah, made the announcement regarding the inaugural WPL season.

There are a total of five teams in the Women's Premier League: Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, UP Warriorz, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the most successful teams in this tournament, having won one title each, while Delhi Capitals finished as the runners-up in both seasons.

How did WPL influence Women's Cricket's Growth?

Ever since its inaugural season, the Women's Premier League (WPL) has influenced the growth of Women's cricket at a huge scale. Fans who didn't watch the Women's cricket matches are now able to support their favourite WPL teams and their national teams in the ICC tournaments. Therefore, WPL has given a lot of recognition to Women's cricket and also made it to the fastest-growing T20 Leagues in recent years. This tournament has not just been a platform where the international players play with and against each other; it has also provided opportunities to the young talents in various ways.

(Mumbai Indians with the WPL Season 1 trophy)

1. Increased Visibility and Media Coverage

With the help of media coverage, the Women's Premier League has garnered a lot of attention from cricket fans, not only in India but also in various parts of the world. Since the tournament also allows other international players to be a part of it, other country's cricket fans can watch their favourite players perform in the T20 leagues. The exposure, with the help of media coverage, has also attracted new fans to women's cricket, allowing the young cricketers to take up the field and showcase their impressive talent.

2. Professionalism in Women's Cricket

The Women's Premier League (WPL) has brought professionalism to the sport, as this tournament also provides a way for young talents to receive their professional contracts with their respective cricket boards. Since there have been a few domestic tournaments for Women's cricket all over the world, the introduction of T20 leagues, such as the Women's Premier League, has given them opportunities to perform well against the elite cricketers and gain financial stability. It has helped the WPL attract top talent and let them play for their respective teams.

3. Engagement with International Players

In the Women's Premier League, the best female cricketers from different parts of the world are able to come up together and play as a team. This has also provided an opportunity to Indian cricketers to engage themselves with international talents and get experience that can't be found anywhere else. Along with that, the quality of the game has been enhanced by improving the cultural ties between the countries whose players come forward to play in the Women's Premier League.

(Royal Challengers Bangalore with the WPL 2024 Trophy)

4. Financial Support

The players who are a part of the Women's Premier League (WPL) receive financial support not only in one but many ways. These players receive salary according to the price at which they have been bought by their respective teams. Along with that, being a part of any WPL team also opens up opportunities for them to receive sponsorships and start making extra money with the help of the same.

5. Increased Support from the Fans

Ever since the launch of the Women's Premier League, the female cricketers have received even more support from the cricket fans, not only in India but from different parts of the world too. This is because the tournament has provided an opportunity for young female talents to play matches with experienced international players, and the craze for T20 leagues has been unreal among cricket fans in the last few years. Fans, who earlier didn't know about women's cricket, have now started watching even the international matches to watch their favourite players perform.