Cricket enjoys fans like any other sport in the world. However, the emotions for worshipping players and declaring the sport as a religion is unprecedented. In a crowd craving to see any action with a bat and a ball, IPL found a mantra that changed the shape of the game for times to come.
India loves its Bollywood and it lives with the cricket on the soil. Indian Premier League brought glamour to 22 yards and created a grand show which writes new records every time it kicks starts. If one thing that describes IPL, more than everything else, is Success. T-20 leagues are now common in all cricketing nations and are being discussed for female cricketers in India on par with their Australian counterparts.
The gossips have been hot with heads pondering over the possibility of an IPL exclusively for women. However, a closer look reveals how IPL wraps a new meaning when women cricket comes onto the table. The conventional or the “male” manifest of the sport that we witness today became a sensation with India getting a new dose of belief in the world cup of 1983. The game was carried to masses and every television set by icons like Sachin Tendulkar.
It is no wrong to believe that IPL backed on the popularity of the game and the love for its players. IPL, in 2008, for male cricketers meant a just a new tournament. Notably, for players who are still miles behind their male counterparts, Women’s IPL will not mean “just other” tournament. IPL will not take the known legends into the shorter and glamorous manifest rather it will give new legends to the ladies and the world.
With the kind of recognition and popularity Indian Premier League enjoys, it has the potential to revive the state of cricket for a team whose matches are not televised regularly. Not only names, but IPL will fuse necessary cash into the female cricketing world. With Indian captain reporting cases of her being approached by bookies, we are forced to turn our eyes to the fact that Indian female players get around one-tenth of what any Virat or Rohit would make.
We, also, must remember that women, hardly, get lines of commercial advertisements. Female cricket needs a boost as vital as IPL to grow and stand. Hence, the question cannot be about the readiness of female cricket. IPL is need of the hour for women cricketers. Additionally, the success of the Challengers Trophy stands against all the adversaries who question the acceptance of women playing cricket in India.
Names like Mithali Raj and Ellyse Perry have grown common in India. With IPL and known stars from throughout the globe, we can have eyes on us. The dearth of regular updates and popular interest in female matches can be challenged. IPL for women should not be considered like another money-making league rather it shall give a stage for players to grow into legends and take their game and name on par with their male counterparts.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.
