Gujarat Giants have named former India skipper Mithali Raj as mentor and advisor for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), likely to get underway in the first week of March.
“Over the years, Mithali’s trailblazing achievements and contributions to Indian cricket have not only earned her numerous awards and accolades but have also played a key role in bringing women’s cricket into the limelight, both on national and international platforms,” a statement from Adani Sportsline, the owners of the Ahmedabad franchise, read.
“As a mentor and advisor, Mithali will also promote women’s cricket and help develop the sport at the grassroot level in Gujarat,” the statement added.
Having started her India career in 1999 as a teenager, Mithali Raj grew to become one of the all-time greats of the game. She represented India in 12 Tests, 232 ODIs, and 89 T20Is and also captained the national side to the finals of the two World Cup tournaments in 2005 and 2017.
Mithali amassed 699 Test runs including the highest score of 214 and four half-centuries to her name. In ODIs, she made 7805 runs and is the most run-getter in the format with 7 tons and 64 fifties, including the best of 125*. She is the first player to score seven consecutive half-centuries in ODIs.
In the shortest format, Mithali scored 2364 runs with 17 fifties and a best score of 97*. She was also part of the Indian team that made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League is a fantastic move for women’s cricket and the involvement of the Adani Group is a massive boost for the sport as well,” said Raj.
“Women’s cricket is growing steadily, and this kind of impetus will undoubtedly encourage young women to consider taking up cricket professionally. I believe that the high-impact participation of corporates will help hasten the process of eventually bringing more glory to India. This level of influence can help strengthen the sporting ecosystem and enhance opportunities for women athletes,” she added.
