‘WPL changed women’s cricketing landscape’

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Smriti Mandhana said on Monday that the Women’s Premier League has changed the “conversations” surrounding women cricket and she hoped to see similar success stories in other disciplines.

Mandhana had led the RCB to the WPL triumph last year, the team’s first title in franchise cricket. “We used to play in the Big Bash League etc even before the WPL, and everyone used to ask us when we would have our own league, and the WPL came and changed the conversations around women’s cricket,” Mandhana said during unveiling the report — ‘Sports-Forward Nation’.

The Mandhana-led RCB will eye title defence during the third season of the WPL, beginning from February 14.

“The IPL has done a lot for men’s cricket, and it’s like wow, the WPL can do something similarly to women’s cricket. Similarly, it will be inspiring to witness stories like these (WPL) coming from across other disciplines as well,” she added.

Meanwhile, UP Warriorz on Monday drafted in Chinelle Henry as a replacement for injured Alyssa Healy for the upcoming edition of the WPL.

Healy was ruled out of the third season of the WPL due to a foot injury. Defending champions RCB picked Heather Graham and Kim Garth as replacements for Sophie Devine and Kate Cross, respectively. agencies