5 reasons why the BCCI needs to start a Women’s version of IPL soon

After a nerve-wracking final at the mecca of cricket, the home team came out victorious in front of a jam -packed crowd. However, it was a victory of sorts for Indian Women's Cricket team too.

Entering into the tournament as underdogs they fought their way through many odds to reach the finale of the grand event. Captain Mithali Raj suggested in the post-match press conference that her team cracked under pressure and said that it was the right time to start the women's edition of the famous Indian Premier League.

Here, we look at five reasons why such a suggestion by the captain herself could prove to be invaluable and vital for team India in coming year.

#5 Make Women cricketers financially secure

Despite having reached the finals of 2005 Women’s Cricket World Cup, Indian Women Cricketers still had to struggle financially to secure a decent livelihood. However, after their heroic performances in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, it is high time that we have a franchisee-based league for women cricketers in our country.

The Big Bash League and English T-20 League have attracted the attention of Indian cricketers like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. In a country which is obsessed with sports, there will not be any lack of franchisees to invest in a cricket league for our star cricketers.

A Grade ‘A’ contracted woman cricketer earns just Rs. 15 lakh per year, which is almost 8% of what Grade ‘A’ contracted men cricketers earn. Now that TV revenues generated by Women’s Cricket are on a rise, it is high time that we see a lucrative cricket league for women cricketers in our country.

Primarily, it will shorten the gap between the earnings of men cricketers and that of women cricketers. Secondly, it will solve the financial situations of most cricketers and will encourage younger girls to take up this sport as career.

#4 Improve the ability of Indian cricketers to play under pressure

India failed to deal with the pressure in the final

One of the major drawbacks that we noticed in our cricketers during the finals was their inability to cope with pressure. They often committed silly mistakes when the stakes were high and that kept them one-step away from grabbing the coveted Cup.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself admitted that playing in front of packed up stadiums during the playoffs of the IPL makes the young Indian cricketers accustomed to playing under pressure and perform at their best.

If we are able to keep a franchisee based league in place, it would give the Indian cricketers more opportunities to give their best in front of thousands of people. India has two big tournaments lined up in the next four years and this one trait, if capitalised on, will give India a better chance to become world-beaters.

#3 An opportunity to play against the best

To become the best, India should play regularly against the best

We might try to cover it up a lot, but the gap between the quality of cricket played in the Indian domestic circuit and the international arena is huge. Any T-20 league, if held in India, will attain the attention of the best women cricketers from all over the world.

It would be an exciting opportunity for someone like Deepti Sharma or Rajeshwari Gayakwad to play bowl against a certain Meg Lanning and Sarah Taylor day in, day out. It is often said that to become the best, you need to play against the best.

The Indian men’s cricket benefit greatly due to the IPL, as a certain Jasprit Bumrah learnt the tricks of the trade from Lasith Malinga himself. Indian women’s cricket is at a very nascent stage right now and needs to be nurtured with the right tactics so that they can continue their constant development.

#2 Improve the big hitting abilities of all players

India need a few players with big hitting abilities

Harmanpreet Kaur’s destructive ability to clear the ropes easily became one of India’s potent weapons in this World Cup. The fact that Kaur played in the Women’s Big Bash League a few months back cannot be ignored.

Playing in the T-20 leagues all over the world awakens a player’s aggressive instincts and this is one area where Indian women cricketers have developed immensely over the last couple of years. If we want our cricketers like Poonam Raut and Sushma Verma to be able to do the same constantly, a T-20 league will do best to help them achieve that.

Moreover, if they are able to do that against Ellyse Perry and Catherine Brunt regularly, it will do them a world of good. The next 50-over World Cup in 2021 is at New Zealand and the shorter boundaries there will help our players to clear the ropes much more easily than in England. What needs to be taken care of is that they must be able to maintain the level of consistency in doing that.

#1 Preparation of 2018 T-20 Cricket World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur

The next Women’s T-20 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place at West Indies in November-December 2018. With slightly more than a year to go for another World Cup, we need to start preparing ourselves in that particular format.

India’s T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur possesses some exemplary power hitting skills and looks like a very good captaincy material. Youngsters such as Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut should get an opportunity to ply their trade in a T-20 league.

T-20 is a completely different format and Indian players will get some much needed match practice against quality oppositions. It will also help them unearth some more domestic talent. Indian women’s cricket is at an all-time high right now and such a league will benefit them greatly. This league will help India find replacements for players like Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj who are at the dusk of their playing careers.