Miracles do happen. Simran Shaikh, born to a wireman in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, was transformed into a crorepati this weekend. The Gujarat Giants broke their bank to buy her for Rs 1.90 crore in the latest Women’s Premier League auction. What made the deal sweeter is that she had remained unsold last year.
Close behind was G Kamilini from Tamil Nadu. An uncapped player all of 16, she debuted in the U19 national team and bagged a Rs 1.6 crore offer from the Mumbai Indians. Though these amounts are not much when compared to the men’s league, now the women’s league too has its tales of overnight crorepatis.
The first auction was sedate, as money was showered more on established players; but the selections have broadened since the second auction, with franchises seeking depth and winnability.
More T20 state leagues have also started coming up. With the catchment area expanded, uncapped players started to get a look-in. So it was not unusual for an uncapped player to claim crores.
Kashvee Gautam got Rs 2 crore - still the highest-paid uncapped Indian player; Vrinda Dinseh got Rs 1.3 crore. This also shows the franchises are paying more attention to scouting. And that their picks have followed a trend - the teams are looking for good Indian allrounders and players who can hit the ball over the ropes.
Domestic cricket is getting more attention because of this. More young girls are trying their hand at cricket; academies for girls are in demand. Women players also have larger profiles attracting brand deals.
The cricket board has realised the growing importance of the women’s game, announcing equal match fees. But there is still a way to go in the women’s game. There are not as many competitions yet as for the men. There could be more international bilateral series, too.
Perhaps it is time to expand the WPL with more teams - so that more women get opportunities in the sport’s biggest franchise league. This way, the players will benefit and will, in turn, have a positive impact on the national team, like it has done with the T20 men’s team that won the World Cup this year.
Indian women cricketers have tasted a measure of success. It’s time for the BCCI to build on it.