The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was undoubtedly a blockbuster. The first-ever women’s T20 tournament in India was clinched by Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians, outplaying Delhi Capitals in the summit clash.
“WPL was a game changer for us. That tournament was so good. Everyone loved it back home. The response we got…trust me, some of the audience was more interested in women’s IPL than men’s because it was something new to watch,” Kaur said on Daggers & Lyds podcast. “They really liked it. Hopefully we’ll add more teams. I don’t know when it will happen but eventually it will. We do have very good talent back home. Those girls should get this opportunity,” she added.
Kaur, who is currently contesting in the Women’s Hundred competition for Trent Rockets, further spoke about her experience playing in the T20 franchise leagues outside India.
“When I first got to play WBBL, it was a great opportunity because before that we were all playing domestic cricket. There were no overseas players involved. Then I came for KIA league, then I got to play with English players. You need such opportunities,” she added.
“It was a very emotional moment for me. Growing up for us, she was the cricketer leading the Indian women’s cricket team and when I got the opportunity to play with her, she was always very nice to me. She taught me how I can adapt to international cricket.
“When you have a friend like that, a teammate like that, who can make you learn things quickly, you always respect her. When we got to know that it was her last series, we wanted to win it at all costs. We were really pumped up. We wanted to play our best cricket for her. And I’m really happy that we did really well, won all three games,” Kaur concluded.
