Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of India and the Mumbai Indians, predicted that the WPL, which runs from March 4 to March 26, would change lives and raise the standard of the game in the country.
The First day of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) begins in Mumbai on Saturday, with the Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians playing the first match.
Sneha Deepthi of the Delhi Capitals, a mother of a two-year-old at the age of 26, sees it as an opportunity to return to professional sport. Then there’s Royal Challengers Bangalore batswoman Poonam Khemnar, 28, who recalls her parents’ opposition to her pursuing a career in cricket.
There’s also Australia legend and Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning, 32, who retired from the game after leading her team to a Commonwealth Games gold medal victory in August of last year. She spent her time travelling and even “making coffee and washing dishes” in a cafe. She led Australia to the women’s T20 World Cup title last month, her fifth World Cup victory, four in T20s and one in ODIs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, 30, of England, who recently took a break to “focus on her mental health and well-being,” will play for the Mumbai Indians. She returned from her break as England’s vice-captain for the T20 World Cup, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer.
