New women’s cricket league in India heralded as ‘game-changer’

The bat cracked loudly for the first hit in India’s premier women’s cricket league, and the crowd gathered at Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium to let out a string of whoops and cheers.

Uber enthusiast Ria Raichaudhuri is leading the way.

“It feels unreal right now because we want this [league] it’s been a long time and it’s finally here,” he said, minutes before the match between newly formed Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants started earlier this week.

“It’s a feeling that will last forever,” Raichaudhuri added, saying he was proud to see women cricketers take the field in front of 25,000 fans in a packed stadium.

“Everyone is very excited to watch the women’s cricket league,” another fan, Ankur Mahadik, told CBC News.

“You can feel it. Wherever the women’s team goes, people support it.”

Her friend Nishad Saman was quick to chime in, declaring that cricket “is a religion for us,” and predicting great success for the new women’s league.

The three-week tournament has become a big deal in India, involving big names in cricket and big money. The inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) was confirmed as one of the most profitable women’s leagues in the world before the first ball was even played, second only to WNBA basketball.

The numbers are staggering, even in a cricket-crazy country like India. The day that five new women’s cricket teams went up for auction to investors marked one of the biggest financial hails in the history of women’s sports – more than $775 million Cdn. The sale of media rights has also brought in additional revenue.

‘game changer’

The league’s financial draw does not surprise K Shriniwas Rao, cricket expert and editor for news organization Network 18.

“The last thing you should be selling in this country, India, is cricket,” he said.

Cricket used to surpass Bollywood as the country’s biggest export and was its “biggest soft power,” he said.

“Money is something that comes naturally to the game. Why? Because of consumption.”

The women’s league is also expected to attract more sponsors, Rao said, pointing to the fact that Indian cosmetics company Lotus Herbals has secured the top spot in the Mumbai Indians jersey.

The women’s cricketers, a mix of Indian and international players, also benefited from better paydays and increased exposure during the first three weeks of the league.

“We are all very excited,” Harmanpreet Kaur, international cricket star and Mumbai Indians captain, told reporters at a press briefing the day before the first match on March 4.

Kaur is one of India’s highest-paid women’s international cricketers, but the launch of the Women’s Premier League has been a blessing in disguise for her, after she secured a contract with Mumbai Indians worth Cdn$300,000. Even younger, new players benefit, with a guaranteed base salary of up to $84,000 Cdn.

Kaur has called the league not just a “game-changer” for women’s cricket in India, but a “revolution.”

“We have been looking for this opportunity for years, and now the platform is here and I think it will take women’s cricket to the next level,” she said.

Inspiration for young girls

The next level was on everyone’s mind at the MIG cricket club in Mumbai during a practice session on a sunny afternoon.

Janvi Vasaikar fixed the target with his eyes, spinning the ball as he prepared to bowl. Minutes later, he was in the batting cage, taking hitting practice.

The 12-year-old is determined to work hard in cricket.

“It’s my father’s dream and my dream too that I get to play for India one day,” he told CBC News.

Watching a professional female player in a new league gives her hope that she might be on television one day, inspiring other young Indian girls.

“It feels really good because that’s my inspiration.”

Janvi’s parents sat on the sidelines of practice, proud and supportive of their daughter, who quickly took over from her elder brother as the family’s cricketing hope as soon as she held the bat in her hand.

“Her confidence is growing,” said her mother Vaishali Vasaikar, noting that there are more opportunities for Janvi to play the game she loves, as the passion for women’s cricket in India continues to grow.

Janvi’s teammates were also inspired by the new league, which showed potential careers that were strictly closed to women cricketers earlier, who had to fight to be taken seriously.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to prove that we have the power to think about the shot,” Thia Ganatra, 15, said between batting practice.

He smiled slyly.

“Women have a lot of power and can do better than men.”

‘Grow up, we only had male cricket stars’

Back at the stadium, soaking in the atmosphere of a cricket match featuring India’s best women’s players, Raichaudhuri still couldn’t get over it.

“It’s massive. Growing up, we were just male cricket stars and cricket idols,” she said.

“This woman coming every day on our TV screens will be a great inspiration, especially in a country that loves cricket so much.”

Cricket observers and investors are paying attention to whether the Women’s Premier League can translate that love into ticket sales, whether it remains financially viable and whether the tournament can serve as an example for other cricketing nations.

More than 47,000 people watched the Indian national women’s team play Australia in Mumbai in December, setting a national record. The new team owners believe there is more growth potential for the domestic league.

Take Manju Choudhary, who walked into the DY Patil stadium while pulling his three-year-old sister by the hand to watch Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Indians.

It was his first trip to watch live cricket. When asked why he decided to come, Choudhary’s answer was simple.

“Because it’s a women’s league, that’s why.”