On Tuesday, Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah gave positive remarks about upcoming Women’s Premier League and said, “The league will set an example for the other sports to follow suit, just like it happened with men’s Indian Premier League and it will revolutionise the way people look at women’s cricket.”
On Monday, the inaugural Women’s Premier League 2023 came to an end, with 87 players being distributed among five franchises.
Jay Shah said to a news agency, “The WPL is going to revolutionise the way we look at women’s cricket. The huge success of the WPL auction has not only given an opportunity to many prospective talent to showcase their skills on the big stage but also to young budding cricketers to take centerstage on a global level. The reception from fans around the world has been overwhelmingly positive and this will only continue to grow as the league matures. The WPL will set a template for the other sports to follow suit. We saw what happened with the men’s IPL and how other sporting leagues cropped up after 2008. The WPL will ensure the growth of multi-genre sport among women.” Shah also said the WPL is a platform that is created not only to showcase and hone cricket but it is created to inspire the next generation of women to make a professional carrier in sports. “Without a ball being bowled, the WPL is the largest sporting league. With women’s cricket well on its way to cement itself in mainstream sports, the WPL will only fortify the ecosystem around women’s cricket. The initial response to the WPL has definitely showcased the potential the league has to become the biggest women’s domestic sporting tournament,” Shah added.
The first edition of the WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 within two Mumbai venues. For the initial WPL 2023 auction, a total number of 1,525 players were registered with a final list of 409 players set for auction. Five franchises took part in the auction and bagged 17 players into their squad for their services.
Here are the updated list of WPL 2023 teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Indrani Roy, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobhana, Erin Burns, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar.
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Sika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Chole Tryon, Priyanka Bala, Humairaa Kaazi, Neelam Bisht, Jintamani Kalita, Sonam Yadav.
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, S. Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemlatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabman Shakil.
Delhi Capitals : Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha, Pandey, Marizanne Kapp, Titas Sadhu, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Jasia Akhtar, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Taniya Bhatia, Jess Jonassen, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Aparna Mondal.
UP Warriorz: Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahila McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S. Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh.