Mithali Raj on Sunday came out in support of starting a women’s version of the cash-rich Indian Premier League after having spoken against it earlier.
“I felt that (way) before the ODI World Cup. At that point of time the players’ identity as individual players was not as big as the ODI World Cup where people started to understand what is Indian women’s cricket and who all play for the team,” said Mithali.
She was speaking on the eve of the second One-day International against world champions England.
“Now since a year or two people have gone beyond 2-3 players. They recognise other players in the squad and now is the right time to get in IPL because T20 is also a format that ICC is looking to promote in women’s cricket,” added Mithali.
In the women’s 50-over World Cup, the Indian team made the final where they lost to England, generating a huge amount of interest in the country.
Mithali felt that there will be cascading effect on their game’s structure with the introduction of Women’s IPL.
She spoke about the A tour concept to develop the women’s game.
The India women’s ODI skipper also saw the plans to conduct U-19 and U-21 World Cups for women as an advantage.
“It will be important because every country is looking forward to getting more girls to play the sport. And if you have another World Cup, of say Under-19 or Under-21, it gives an opportunity for young girls to compete at that level because there’s something to look forward to.
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