Cricket has become a means for Indian women to subvert excessive patriarchy and gain financial and overall independence. This is evident through the stories of Indian cricket legends like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, as well as the current crop of players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Smriti Mandhana. The sport has opened doors for women in India, providing them with a means to make a career for themselves and establish a distinctive identity in a male-dominated culture.
Mithali Raj, one of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time, once revealed that when she was young, she wanted to be old so she could sleep to her heart’s content like her grandparents. She had to wake up at 4 in the morning for practice, while her grandparents were cozy and asleep in their warm blankets on wintry mornings. However, her love for cricket outweighed her desire for sleep, and she went on to become a cricketing legend.
The Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) used to run women’s cricket in India before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took over in 2006. The BCCI’s involvement in women’s cricket has improved the game and provided players with basic match fees and daily allowances. Former player and broadcaster, Snehal Pradhan, once wrote that the BCCI’s entry into the picture transformed the game. Trains became planes, dormitories became hotel rooms, and newspapers were read instead of sat on. Women’s cricket entered the world of neutral umpires, video analysis, and semi-professional cricket.
The BCCI has made two major decisions regarding women’s cricket: increasing the match fees of contracted women players to the same level as men and launching the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) in March. The WIPL promises to give players more opportunities to play against international level players and bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket. Contemporary stars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Smriti Mandhana have welcomed the announcement of the WIPL, not just for its monetary benefits, but also for its cricketing merits. They believe it will help the domestic girls and give them a platform to understand what international cricket is like.
The WIPL has been criticized for its gaudy commercialism, but no one doubts that it has given domestic players a chance to shine on the big stage. Rodrigues believes that the women’s tournament will have a similar impact and unearth many new talents. Anjali Sarvani, a fast bowling all-rounder from Adoni, Andhra Pradesh, was recently selected in the Indian squad for the T20I series against Australia. Sarvani’s father is a teacher in a village school, and she is one of the exciting new prospects in Indian women’s cricket. The WIPL promises to produce many such talents and is a win for Indian women.
Cricket has become more than just a sport for Indian women. It has provided them with a career and financial independence, as well as a distinctive identity in a male-dominated culture. Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami are two examples of Indian cricket legends who have broken barriers and paved the way for the current crop of players. Goswami once said that cricket is everything in her life, and it is only because of cricket that she is where she is today.
While the Indian cricket board is often criticized, the BCCI’s involvement in women’s cricket has improved the game and provided players with opportunities they never had before. The WIPL promises to take women’s cricket in India to new heights and unearth many new talents. It is a significant step forward for women’s cricket in India.
The Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India for women. It was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in October 2022. The recent auction of five WIPL teams – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow – generated Rs 46.7 billion, with each team sold for around Rs 9.3 billion on average. Media rights for the inaugural league were sold to Viacom18 for Rs 951 crore for the period 2023 to 2027.
WIPL has the potential to attract more brands and help women cricketers become their own brands. Although women athletes’ success on the ground, the brand ecosystem undervalues them in both money and media terms. According to a study done by the University of Southern California, women’s sports receive just 0.5% of all sponsorship monies. However, with BCCI’s increased focus on women in cricket, the sports marketing ecosystem is ripe for change, and WIPL is already attracting premier stakeholders.
WIPL is a huge boost to women’s cricket in India, and it is expected to open a new audience base of women/girls who are actively pursuing sports and fitness as part of their lifestyle. With a push from sponsors, women in sports can flourish, and women cricketers can add value to brands as endorsers. The prospects for WIPL in the brandverse are positive, and it is considered a new advertiser opportunity that brands and agencies need to take seriously.
