WPL does have viewership but a lot can be improved by 2024
Women's cricket is emaciated, and starved, at the domestic level. There is a lot of potentials to be tapped.
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Cricket is non-stop. There is an overdose, yet, it is consumed by fans — inside the arena or on television and digital platforms. As Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals face off in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) final on Sunday (March 26) in Mumbai, three weeks of T20- action has been new and exciting.
For all those who were skeptical of the cricket which would be on view, what one witnessed in the pulsating match between Mumbai Indians and the UP Warriorz on Friday night was high voltage. Nat Sciver-Brunt‘s powerful blast with the bat (72 off 38 balls) and Issy Wong‘s four-wicket burst, inclusive of a hat-trick in the playoff, showed how Harmanpreet Kaur‘s team has been top-class.
Throughout the three-week event, there has never been any doubt about the quality of the two teams, Delhi Capitals, led by Leg Manning, and Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet. Harmanpreet has been the flavor of the season and her fan following has got even more massive. For someone with 244 runs at a strike rate of 144.37 and three player of the match awards, she trending on social media. The final between Delhi and Mumbai has always been on the cards, from the start of the competition on March 4.
To be sure, of the five teams in the fray, there has been a lack of consistency and depth among teams. That the two franchises from Delhi and Mumbai were superior is well known. In the first year of any new league like the WPL, to expect everything to be perfect is wrong. There is massive room for improvement. After all, for the Indian Premier League to have reached this stage of being the richest and strongest T20 domestic cricket league in the world did not happen overnight. It required a gestation period, having started in 2008.
The WPL has been lucky in many ways. To have got the backing of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) plus established franchises coming on board to form the five teams made it financially viable. The big money splurged on players and teams has grabbed eyeballs. At the same time, it is easy to say “hardly anyone watches WPL.” Certainly, one saw on Friday night, a 35,000-plus crowd in Mumbai. This has been much more than what was seen on the last four days of the Ahmedabad Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.
If the IPL has attracted talent from domestic cricket, women’s cricket in India also needs the same base
For all those who watch women’s cricket, what stands out these days is how players are faster, fitter, and ready for the action under arc lights. Anyone making a comparison between IPL and WPL will be wrong. The DNA of both competitions is vastly different. If anything, when compared with the more established Women’s BBL (Big Bash League) in Australia, the WPL has done well in a commercial sense. Even the Aussies are in envy.
Sponsors, team owners, and everyone seems happy with what has been seen in the last three weeks. Yes, there were off days in the WPL, when the Indian men’s team was playing the three-match ODI series against Australia, eventually resulting in a 1-2 loss. It made sense, as a clash of cricket at home would have been mindless.
For the marketing mandarins of WPL and all leagues, the yardstick to judge the success of a league is very different. It is not as if the results from franchises that did not do well this time will spell doom. After all, the teams from Bangalore and Gujarat have a solid backing. There is scope for a massive improvement in the WPL, which should happen from 2024 onwards.
At a time when there is no scare like the Covid-19 pandemic, to have played the WPL in just one city at three different venues was boring. The event will have to be broad-based, where more host cities need to be involved. All five franchises need to host matches in 2024 to make them more popular and acceptable. That is the way one can build a sort of brand loyalty and follow. Certainly, if matches are held in a city like Lucknow or Bengaluru, fans will come.
There have been complaints about the boundary being shortened far too much in the WPL. In the name of producing more sixes, you cannot have a 45-meter boundary. Nobody wants a full, long boundary like at the MCG in Melbourne or the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Boundaries have to be certainly more than 45 yards or bowlers will be made to look like sacrificial lambs. This is the same curse that has been plaguing the PSL in Pakistan.
From a macro view, it is good the BCCI thought of holding a league for women. Looking ahead, the domestic structure of women’s cricket at home needs to get stronger. There can be no comparing the quantity and quality of cricket that the Indian men and women play at home. Women’s cricket is emaciated, and starved, at the domestic level. There is a lot of potentials to be tapped. Perhaps, the first step which the BCCI needs to take is to focus on women’s domestic cricket in the new season.
If the IPL has attracted talent from domestic cricket, whatever be the format — red ball or white — women’s cricket at home in India also needs the same base. Should that happen, the 2024 WPL can look even more robust. Players come and go and fresh faces definitely get more noticed. Last but not the least, the WPL created its own ecosystem. Look at the Aussies, they are salivating over the money earned by players!
The final between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians will be played on Sunday (March 26) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 IST. Sports18 and Sports18 Khel will broadcast the match, while the live streaming will be available on the JioCinema app or website.
Teams in WPL 2023:
Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)