Premier Indian batswomen Smriti Mandhana feels that this is the right time to start a women’s T20 league in order to build a potent squad for the Indian women’s team like IPL has done for the Indian men’s team over the years.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started the Women's T20 Challenge comprising of three teams, Supernovas, Velocity, and Trailblazers. The tournament features women cricketers from India and from around the world.
Smriti Mandhana, who captains the Trailblazers, talked about the young blood in the Indian team. She said the domestic T20 league has bolstered the confidence of women cricketers in facing high-quality bowling and handling their nerves in difficult situations.
"Yeah, I think the kind of performances we've had in the last three-four years is great. The average age of the Indian women's team is 23-24, which means that there are a lot of young players.
"The league definitely gives a boost to women's cricket and gives confidence to youngsters. We've seen in men's cricket; debutants are facing 145-150 speed deliveries quite comfortably. You can't see that they're nervous on their debut," Smriti Mandhana said in a podcast on Red Bull's Decoding Athlete series.
Mandhana said that it’s the right time to get a women’s T20 league because it will help in building a strong Indian women’s team.
"The league has played a big role in that, and it's going to help women's cricket as well. If you really want to get a strong women's team in India, it's the right time to get a women's league," she said.
Mandhana said that if given choice she would love to play for Mumbai Indians because she’s from Maharashtra.
"I think at the moment I'm happy to lead Trailblazers. But if given a choice, and because I'm from Maharashtra, so Mumbai probably. But I think all the teams are so good and they look after the players so well. Any team would be amazing for development as a player," she concluded.
(ANI Inputs)
