WPL 2023: Women’s cricket has grown leaps and bounds in recent times, way beyond anyone’s expectations and imagination. If England winning the 50-over World Cup in a packed house at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in 2017 wasn’t enough for most people to sit back and take notice, a packed house at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Australia’s T20 World Cup final triumph in 2020 certainly was, with over 85,000 people attending the event. Follow Women Premier League 2023 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
WPL 2023: ‘Women Cricket on a serious growth trajectory’, media veteran Basant Dhawan narrates journey of Women Cricket to doorstep of WPL
On both occasions, India were on the receiving end of heart breaking losses. Yet, there was belief. The belief is that a team coming up with players from humble backgrounds could go on to do something special. The unthinkable. Unfortunately, faltering at the last hurdle has been an issue that the Indian Women’s team hasn’t been able to address in the recent past.
Does that mean there’s no progress? Of course, there is. Take a look at their results in major tournaments in recent years, and it’ll tell you everything you need to know. However, teams like Australia and England usually sit atop the list as the favourites because of the cutting edge they have in their domestic circuit with franchise leagues.
The Women’s Big Bash League recently completed its eighth edition, establishing itself as one of the best women’s franchise tournaments in the world. Only recently, England managed to come up with a grand franchise tournament of their own, the Hundred. The standout point for these two tournaments was the streamlining of existing franchises, which basically means the same franchises from the men’s tournament also had teams for the women’s tournament.
That not only helped them build on an already existing fan base, but it also added more inclusivity to the sport itself. Of course, more than a few players from those ranks eventually moved into the international setup, proving themselves on the big stage.
WPL 2023: ‘Women Cricket on a serious growth trajectory’, media veteran Basant Dhawan narrates journey of Women Cricket to doorstep of WPL
The same hasn’t been the case for India though. The Women in Blue have consistently punched above their weight in the last few years and have come close to glory on a few occasions. It’s the lack of experience in pressure situations that usually tends to get the better of them. The Women’s T20 Challenge was an attempt to change that, but with such a short tournament, there were barely any chances for the players to show what they’re all about. However, things are finally expected to change, and in a significant way.
In a ground breaking day for women’s sports, the broadcast deal for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was announced last month. Viacom18 bought the media rights for the tournament for a whopping $116 mn , making WPL the second most expensive women’s league in terms of media rights, only behind the WNBA. It is also the second-most expensive cricket league in the world, only behind the IPL. This was even before the details of the tournament had been laid out.
Since then, progress has been rapid. The tenders for buying teams were assigned with five teams up for grabs. From the IPL, the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals managed to take the opportunity to extend their franchise and fan base with teams in the women’s tournament. Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz completed the set with the WPL franchises summing up to a value $572.2 mn. This works out $114.4 mn per franchisee – an increase of 26% on original valuation of each of the men’s team.
WPL 2023: ‘Women Cricket on a serious growth trajectory’, media veteran Basant Dhawan narrates journey of Women Cricket to doorstep of WPL
Plenty of money for women’s sports that didn’t seem to have a lot of commercial value half a decade ago, eh? And that in itself has been the most significant step forward. In an ever-expansive era where there is no shortage of cricket for viewers, women’s cricket is beginning to emerge as one of the premium competitors. Not only is it generating a lot more interest in the game, but it is also providing a platform for a lot of girls to look at cricket as a viable career option.
The recent report from FICA suggested that there is an increase in professional employment opportunities and central contracts in women’s cricket rising to 207 annually, a 75% uplift from the last reporting period. They also stated that 492 major domestic T20 league contract opportunities are projected in 2023, and also spoke about the importance of taking the necessary steps for gender equality and professionalism in the sport.
The WPL is going to be contributing to some of those factors too. For example, Smriti Mandhana (the most expensive player at the WPL auction) earned a deal of Rs 3.4 crore with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. That in comparison is significantly more than what Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam fetches for playing in the Pakistan Super League. It does come down to the disparity between the two nations but from a WPL perspective, it could only be the start of just how quickly they can grow in terms of monetary value.
WPL 2023: ‘Women Cricket on a serious growth trajectory’, media veteran Basant Dhawan narrates journey of Women Cricket to doorstep of WPL
It was in 2007 when India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, which more or less paved the way for the Indian Premier League to be the grand success it has been for the last 15 years. With the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup coincidentally in South Africa, the Indian women’s side have a chance to do something similar.
The U19 Indian women’s side, led by Shafali Verma, etched their names in the history books recently, after winning the inaugural edition of the U19 T20 World Cup in the rainbow nation last month. That win in itself speaks about the kind of talent that is there in the country and why women’s cricket in India is treading on the right path to thrive in the years to come.
It’s not quite a case of history repeating itself after 2007, really, despite the similarities in how things have panned out with the tournaments taking place in the same country, only 15 years apart. However, history does repeat itself, it will pave the way for a rather successful tournament that follows next month and hopefully, for years to come. And that alone could transcend the landscape of women’s cricket as we know it.
WPL 2023: ‘Women Cricket on a serious growth trajectory’, media veteran Basant Dhawan narrates journey of Women Cricket to doorstep of WPL
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