Would be fantastic to see a fully-fledged women's IPL, feels Sophie Devine
White Ferns skipper Sophie Devine has stated that a Women’s IPL can take the profile of women’s cricket a notch higher and give more opportunities to women’s cricketers. Devine has further added that Mithali Raj has been a stalwart of the women's game, not only in India but around the world.
Be it the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia or the Kia Super League in England, Women’s cricket has largely benefited from those enterprises thanks to the quality on offer. As Shikha Pandey recently suggested, the true avenue for Women’s cricket lies in marketing, something that many stakeholders have agreed on.
New Zealand women’s teams newly-appointed permanent captain Sophie Devine is in agreement with that and stated that a women's IPL has the potential of taking the game to the next level and if the tournament happens in full flow sometime in the future, it would be great for many cricketers around the world.
"I think it would be fantastic to see a fully-fledged women's IPL and could certainly take the women's game to the next level globally. We have already seen the success of domestic leagues such as the WBBL and KSL to the standard of play as well as offering international players opportunities to play overseas," Devine said in an exclusive interview with ANI.
In her 14-year-long international career, Devine has played 10 ODIs and as many T20Is against India, many of which saw Mithali Raj being a part of it. The duo have shared a healthy friendship over the years and it is natural Devine talks glowingly about her Indian counterpart.
"Mithali has been a stalwart of the women's game for so many years and has done so much not only for cricket in India but around the world. Her composure at the crease is something that I've always admired," Devine said.