Stokes is in India to play in the IPL 2021 for Rajasthan Royals.
England Women captain Heather Knight heaped praise on all-rounder Ben Stokes for speaking out in support of women's cricket and talking about staging a full-fledged Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL) in India in order to grow the women's game even bigger.
Knight, who lifted the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) title with the Sydney Thunder in November 2020 and twice won the Kia Super League trophy, joined the other women players calling for the Women's IPL, saying it “would be amazing for the women's game” to have a full-fledged WIPL.
BCCI has been staging the Women's T20 Challenge alongside the men's IPL playoffs since 2018, but Stokes feels the time has come to launch a full-fledged Women's IPL in India and he was very hopeful of fully-fledged women's franchises being established like the men’s.
Stokes had said on Red Bull's Decoding Athletes podcast: “Yes, I think the women's game, especially over the last four to five years, has gone from strength to strength and it's great how it is filtering into the men's game in terms of [parallel] competitions and things like that.”
The Englishman, who is set to play for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021, added: “I'm very hopeful there'll be a women's franchise side associated with every men's franchise side so we're able to grow the women's game even bigger. What better place to do it than out here in India.”
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Reacting to Stokes’ words, Knight said: “It was awesome to see Stokesy talk about the women's IPL. The more allies we have in women's cricket, it really helps to change perceptions. It's great from Ben to say that and I totally agree, I think it would be amazing for the women's game to have an IPL.”
She signed off, “You've seen it in Australia with the Big Bash, and hopefully here with the Hundred having men's and women's competitions alongside each other, it's a really positive thing for the women's game and really helps to progress things. It was really nice to see Ben make those comments.”
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)