Women’s Indian Premier League auction was a historic occasion for cricket, but what about the associate nations?
- Cash injection ‘a life-changing’ experience for many, but opportunity to grow game beyond Test-playing nations missed
- US bowler Tara Norris only associate player bought with Delhi paying US$12,000, earlier Bangalore payed US$415,000 for India’s Mandhana
Never before in cricket has a phenomenon like the inaugural Women’s Indian Premier League (WPL) auction struck.
Never again might cricketers witness a financial injection as historic to the women’s game play out during as big a showpiece on its calendar as a T20 World Cup.
A frenetic day at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai saw 87 players picked, 30 overseas included, to represent the five teams of the WPL, a competition stakeholders believe will revolutionise the sport.
Representative of the five franchises – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz – engaged in a seven-hour bidding war for players culled from a final auction-day shortlist of 449.
Women are worth it, finally
India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was the first player to go under the hammer. The 26-year-old opening batter received bids from Mumbai and Bangalore, two of the three franchises in the WPL, along with Delhi Capitals, to own IPL teams.
