The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was undoubtedly a huge success. The Mumbai Indians clinched the title defending the Delhi Capitals in the final. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur shared that the tournament was a game-changer for women’s cricket. She also expressed that some fans were more interested in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) than the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In a conversation on the Daggers & Lyds podcast, Harmanpreet Kaur spoke about the inaugural edition of the WPL. She also opined that adding more teams will help the tournament to grow, as it will provide opportunities for more girls to showcase their talent at this level. Harmanpreet Kaur said,
“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. 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.
Harmanpreet Kaur is currently playing for the Trent Rockets in the ongoing The Hundred Women’s 2023 season. Speaking about her experience of playing in several overseas T20 leagues, she said,
“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.”
It was a very emotional moment for me: Harmanpreet Kaur on Jhulan Goswami’s retirement
Harmanpreet Kaur also opened up on Jhulan Goswami’s retirement from International cricket. The legendary cricketer bid adieu to the game during the three-match ODI series against England last year at Lord’s. Recalling Jhulan Goswami’s farewell match, Harmanpreet Kaur shared,
“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,” she added.
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