Jay Shah confident WPL will revolutionise women’s cricket

Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah, has imposed his faith and immense confidence in the inaugural Women’s Premier League for not only garnering a massive success, but it will also bring about a major revolution in women’s cricket.

The much-awaited inaugural season of the WPL will be played from March 4 to March 26, in Mumbai. The Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium will host all the matches. The tournament opener is expected to be played between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians-owned franchise.

Jay Shah sees WPL as a stepping stone for revolution

“The WPL will set a template for other sports to follow suit,” the BCCI secretary was quoted as saying by NDTVSports.

Shah could hardly contain his excitement as he went on to explain that the BCCI was immensely proud and delighted to have not only thought but also pan out and ensure the WPL actually is executed well and thus has taken it upon itself to create a template in the sporting world for other boards to follow.

Also, he seemed quite sure about the WPL completely changing the way women’s cricket is perceived and watched and that upcoming women cricketers will not find it much hard in fulfilling their ambitions on the big stage.

“The WPL is going to revolutionise the way we look at women’s cricket. The huge success of the WPL auction has not only given an opportunity to many prospective talent to showcase their skills on the big stage but also to young budding cricketers to take centerstage on a global level,” Shah stated.

“The reception from fans around the world has been overwhelmingly positive and this will only continue to grow as the league matures. We saw what happened with the men’s IPL and how other sporting leagues cropped up after 2008. The WPL will ensure the growth of multi-genre sport among women,” the BCCI secretary continued.

Shah also stated that even before a single game of the WPL actually being played, this league has become one of the largest sporting leagues in the world already, which speaks of the impact such tournaments hold in acting as path-breakers in the sporting world.

“Without a ball being bowled, the WPL is the largest sporting league. With women’s cricket well on its way to cement itself in mainstream sports, the WPL will only fortify the ecosystem around women’s cricket. The initial response to the WPL has definitely showcased the potential the league has to become the biggest women’s domestic sporting tournament,” Shah concluded.