A live WPL match appeared on TV in a restaurant as I was walking past a grocery store. I visited my neighbour and saw the uncle desperately watching the WPL match live. After seeing gender bias in sports since so long, I began to see instances where sports was moving towards gender neutrality.
To begin with, the views and audience participation are two great aspects of this year’s WPL.
The audience is actively participating in WPL. Given that WPL obtained more sponsorships and advertising this year, it can be considered as one of the reasons for this change.
Second positive thing to highlight about WPL is the showcase of talent. Many Indian women players have got the spot. Starting from Sajana’s last ball winning 6 for MI to the 5 wicket haul for Asha. The tournament gives an opportunity for domestic players to display their talent. Like IPL has given many players for men cricket in India, WPL can do the same thing for women cricket.
The stadium’s attendance was the third aspect of WPL that I found impressive. A team’s twelfth player is the crowd. This is evident in how well RCB performed in Bangalore. The first two games were won by the squad that finished last season with six game losses. This demonstrates that interest in female cricket is growing and the audience does make a difference for a team.
I think there are still some things that can be improved to make WPL a greater success. There should be more matches in WPL. This can happen when more teams are included. WPL has few teams compared to IPL. While the last season of IPL had 14 matches for each team, WPL had only 8 matches. The more the matches, the more the image of the sport. It will allow the audience to engage with the players and understand the teams.
Moreover, hosting games in more stadiums throughout states could be a further strategy to improve the WPL. The WPL for this year was scheduled to take place in Delhi and Bangalore. This allows more RCB and DC fans to witness their team. Matches should also happen in Gujarat, Mumbai, UP so that other teams like MI, GG, UPW also witness support from their fans. Fans do act as a 12th player, and this could be seen in Bangalore. RCB fans in Bangalore did boost the confidence of RCB.
This years WPL has definitely been a massive thrill and success. This league has shown rise in women sports. People have started watching women. The audience has now increased. As a girl and sports enthusiastic, this change makes me happy. A true viewer and sports lover does not see gender, they see the game.