India is always considered as one of the greatest Cricket playing nations in the world, as the game is played quite extensively all over the country. Though the game is mainly played by men in India, the Indian women are also playing the game for quite some time now. The Women's Cricket in India started its journey several years back, during the first half of the 1970s. Since then women’s cricket have been recognized as one of the popular sports for women in India.
If you look back in time, you will know that the first cricket World Cup was played by women in 1973 which was followed a couple of years later by the men’s cricket World Cup in 1975. Not only the World Cups, but women in the cricket playing nations play Test, ODI and T20 just like their male counterparts.
The advent of IPL (Indian Premiere League) in 2008 in India set the wheels of cricket popularity rolling not only in India but all over the world. Big cricketing guns from different parts of the globe descend to this cricket crazy nation for close to two months to play this all exciting tournament. IPL not only acts as a platform for the young and budding cricketers to showcase their talent in front of the world but also gives all the cricket lovers to see their favourite players in one team. Is there anything that you will ask for when you have the likes of ViratKohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers playing together in one team named Royal Challengers Bangalore team? It is truly a treat to watch these players play together in one team. It is also interesting to see when you have your favourite players at loggerheads, say MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
If men’s IPL could create such a buzz, don’t you think that even their female counterparts must be raring to play such a competition? Australia has already taken the first step towards this. Every year in Australia the Big Bash League (BBL) is played in which there are eight teams fiercely competing against each other to win the ultimate trophy. The BBL is similar to India’s IPL. After seeing the success of BBL and IPL, former Australia women's Test captain and Head of Brisbane's Centre of Excellence, Belinda Clark revealed on 19 January 2014 the planning for a women's Big Bash League (WBBL). On 19 February 2015, Cricket Australia announced that a Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) would commence in season 2015/2016, with teams aligned to the current men's competition. The teams will share the names and colours of the existing men's BBL teams, meaning that there will be two teams from each of Sydney and Melbourne while one team from each of Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. For the first time ever, there will be a WBBL being played in Australia. The tournament is scheduled to be held in December 2015. It is a long tournament that will be played from 5th December 2015 and the final will be held on 24th January 2016.
One of the leading Australian players Lisa Sthalekarhas come out of her retirement to play for Sydney Sixers in the inaugural season of WBBL. Sthalekar, 36, retired in 2013 as one of Australia's most accomplished women's players of all time, and as the only Australian to have scored 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets in women's one-day internationals.During her 12-year international career, Sthalekar was part of four Australian World Cup-winning squads as well as two Ashes-winning teams.
WBBL will see not only cricketers but also a tennis player playing the game. Former tennis star Ashleigh Barty has turned her hand to cricket, signing with the Brisbane Heat for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League season this summer. Barty, 19, reached the doubles finals at Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open with partner Casey Dellacqua in 2013 and has competed in the singles at all four grand slams, but walked away from tennis last year.Barty approached Queensland Cricket earlier this year to enquire about making a switch to cricket and she has since then joined Western Suburbs in the Brisbane Women's Premier Cricket competition. Last weekend she top scored in her first T20 game with 63 not out from 60 balls, as well as taking 2 for 13 from four overs.Barty has been training alongside the Queensland Fire squad since July, having become interested in a switch to cricket when she addressed the Southern Stars team as part of their winter training programme earlier this year.
It is hoped that the WBBL will cultivate the strong crop of women’s cricket in the national arena. With this backdrop, Australia has taken already taken this redefining step to develop women’s cricket, now it’s time for India, where cricket is considered as a religion to give a long rope to the women cricketers and popularize it as much as the men’s cricket. What say BCCI?Even Indian players like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami are eyeing to have something like women’s IPL.
It is hoped that the WBBL will cultivate the strong crop of women’s cricket in the national arena. With this backdrop, Australia has taken already taken this redefining step to develop women’s cricket, now it’s time for India, where cricket is considered as a religion to give a long rope to the women cricketers and popularize it as much as the men’s cricket. What say BCCI?Even Indian players like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami are eyeing to have something like women’s IPL.
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