Young India Women's Cricket Team batter Jemimah Rodrigues believes that a full-fledged Women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) would not only develop the women’s game in the country, but also bolster the team’s bench strength and provide a platform for many youngsters to showcase their talents.
Citing the example of other countries like Australia and England who have been organizing the franchised-based T20 tournaments for women to develop their game, the 19-year-old felt India could take a leaf out of that book to improve and unearth talents to do well at the global levels.
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The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) had successfully hosted women’s exhibition matches in 2018 and 2019 along with the men’s IPL matches and even planned to organize a four-team women’s T20 challenge with a total of seven matches to run parallel to the men’s IPL playoffs this year, but insisted a full-fledged Women’s IPL will take some time to take shape in India.
Rodrigues said on ICC’s show 100% Cricket: “If you see the Big Bash and the Kia Super League have developed the game out there so much for Australia, England and now even New Zealand has started. That’s (IPL) definitely going to develop the game and it’s also going to get newer talent. Definitely it is going to develop the game so much and also give a lot of bench strength to India."
She also cited the example of the 16-year-old Shafali Verma, who excelled at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 with her explosive batting, was one of the finds of the IPL and she felt India can make a difference by unearthing more talents if there is women’s IPL.
She added, “We came to know about Shafali Verma through the IPL, she did so well in the IPL. We knew she could do well in the domestic circuit but after that playing against international players and being that fearless person we can get many more talents rising up playing such matches.”
Acknowledging the BCCI’s efforts to expand the women’s IPL, Rodrigues hopes to have full-flagged Women’s IPL soon in India as well.
She signed off, “Playing matches in front of a crowd its a different experience, that’s what’s going to help us play international cricket alongside the experience we are going to get sharing the dressing room with Sophie Devine, Meg Lanning, we ourselves will get to learn so much. It will be great to have a women’s IPL, the BCCI is on it, and hopefully, soon we will be having a proper women’s IPL.”
(With PTI Inputs)
