Paving the way for a new era in women’s cricket and empowering future generations

This was not a sudden shift, but rather the culmination of years of anticipation, with women’s franchise leagues such as Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), and The Hundred Women’s competition in England steadily gaining traction on the global stage.

Even in cricket-obsessed India, the seeds were sown with the introduction of the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2018, where exhibition matches played under the blazing midday sun drew some of the biggest names in the sport. Yet, for all this momentum, it was not until 2023 that the BCCI (Board for Control of Cricket in India) fully embraced the idea of a premier women’s league. 

The WPL might have been late to the party, arriving a full 15 years after the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL), but it made an entrance no one could ignore. The inaugural season was nothing short of a spectacle, with large crowds at stadiums, unprecedented salaries, and palpable excitement that swept across the nation.

By the time the second season rolled around, the WPL had already outgrown its ‘newcomer’ status, nearly filling stadiums to capacity and capturing the imagination of cricket fans across the globe. The final, for example, held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, was a sell out with over 26,000 spectators at the stadium. 

Changing perceptions and inspiring new generations

The success of the WPL in just two seasons does not surprise WV Raman, former India player, and former India women’s national cricket team head coach.

“I’m not surprised at the way it’s been received because women’s cricket is obviously on the up,” he tells Global Sustainable Sport. “After the IPL, parents started becoming eager for their sons to play in the league. They believed that once their boy got into the IPL and secured a few contracts, his future was set. Similarly, the way parents view cricket and its potential for their daughters has shifted as well. They now realise that cricket can be a fantastic path to tremendous success for their girls later in life, especially if they encourage them to take up the sport early on. This is a perspective that many parents likely wouldn’t have considered decades ago.”