ICCCHENNAI: From inviting the bids for the five franchise teams to auctions to eventually conducting the Women's Premier League inaugural season was like a herculean task at the start of 2023. And the organisers managed to complete the arduous task in less than 100 days. "Felt like a student trying to learn the entire year's syllabus in the last nine days," is how Parth Jindal, the owner of the Delhi Capitals, rightly explained the whole process of the season.
However, the overriding emotions of the players, coaches, and even the fans were excitement and relief. The excitement was in the air because, for the first time, a competition of this magnitude for women cricketers was happening in India. The relief settled in as an India-based franchise league, which became the need of the hour in the last few years, finally became a reality. The excitement is still there but at the same time, expectations have increased manifold with the second season starting in Bengaluru.
For starters, the teams have had a good look at what the season could look like and where they needed to focus in the off-season. The first glimpses of this understanding were on display in the auction itself where teams spent money on strengthening their squads with domestic talent. This led to UP Warriorz picking uncapped Vrinda Dinesh for Rs 1.3 crore to Delhi Capitals rewarding Jharkhand's Ashwani Kumari after her performances in the domestic circuit. The other highlight of the season is going to be the inclusion of veterans of the game, who have found themselves out of the national side over the years. The likes of Veda Krishnamurthy (Gujarat) and Gouher Sultana (UP) have a unique chance to help the younger generation with their experience and make the most of these opportunities for their respective teams.
The title holders, Mumbai Indians have kept their core group of Indian and international players intact and have added the firepower of South Africa's Shabnim Ismail. Natalie Sciver-Brunt, ICC's Player of the Year for 2023, and Hayley Matthews, the T20I Player of the Year, were crucial for the side's victorious run and they would be itching to go again. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur's form in the white ball in recent times could be a cause for concern, but they have enough firepower at their disposal. In Amandeep Kaur, they have an exciting left-arm wrist spinner, a rarity in the women's game, and she could pose a challenge.
Similarly, the Delhi Capitals under former Australian captain, Meg Lanning would like to build on their achievements in the first season. In Annabel Sutherland, they have recruited one of the most exciting allrounders in the world, but their strength lies in their experienced Indian players like Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey and Poonam Yadav. Titas Sadhu, the U19 World Cup winner, did not get any matches in the first season, but this could well be her season given how much she has improved since the last edition.
Alyssa Healy-led UP Warriorz concentrated on adding domestic talents to their ranks with the inclusion of Vrinda and Sultana. Chamari Athapaththu, the ICC ODI Player of the Year and the Player of the Tournament in the latest season of the Women's Big Bash League, has joined UP as a replacement for Lauren Bell. They have a long list of explosive batters, but it is their relatively young bowling unit other than Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone, that needs to come up strongly if they are to make it to the finals.
One of the biggest changes for Bangalore occurred way before the auction when Luke Williams replaced Ben Swayer as head coach. Williams, following his stellar record in the WBBL, could change the fortunes of the Smriti Mandhana-led side that would love to perform in front of their home crowd. Mandhana's own form throughout the first season was the cause of concern, but she has toiled hard in the domestic circuit, and her performance could make or break the team's chances.
In their first-ever WPL fixture, Gujarat Giants lost captain Beth Mooney to a season-ending injury and never really recovered from it to finish at the bottom of the table. With Mooney back to lead the side, Gujarat would be hoping to put those memories behind to better their result this season. They are also under the new coach Michael Klinger, who saw the overhaul of Sydney Thunder in WBBL as an assistant coach. In Kathryn Bryce of Scotland, Gujarat have the only representation from an Associate nation in this year's WPL, and she could pave the way for many to come.
As the sophomore season kicks in, there is another carrot dangling with the T20 World Cup coming up this year in Bangladesh. The Indian captain has mentioned that the players can use this opportunity to make it to the Indian team. Given Mumbai Indians' Saika Ishaque and Royal Challengers Bangalore's Shreyanka Patil made their international debuts on the back of their performance in the inaugural season could work as a motivation for the players vying for a place in India's squad. With no fixtures in sight for the senior side according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP), the selectors would have an eye on the performances in the WPL.
Twenty-two matches among five teams, played across two cities, in the prime time, may not sound extraordinary for a game like cricket in India, but in reality, for the women cricketers in the country, just like the first season, the next 23 days could usher in a new era.