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World Cup afterglow to a WPL of India’s champions
Indian players, three of them captains, are back at the DY Patil Stadium where they achieved a historic win
Navi Mumbai: Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana took their seats beside each other and next to a shiny trophy by the sight screen of the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, stirring a few friendly exchanges.
“We have with us captain of RCB, Smriti Mandhana,” quipped Harmanpreet.
“And captain of MI, Harmanpreet Kaur,” Smriti reciprocated.
It wasn’t too long ago that these two stood around the same area of the same ground, as captain and vice-captain of Team India, holding a different trophy. One that delivered a historic first for women’s cricket in the country. And one that provides added context to the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), starting on Friday with a clash between the teams led by the two Indian stars.
No wonder then that two months on, the stadium was still abuzz with a sense of hangover from India’s ODI World Cup triumph.
With the winning catch of the final against South Africa taken post midnight by the woman beside her, Smriti was undecided on whether to go with November 2 or 3 as the date of history. She made a quick enquiry with the groundsman if the wicket for Friday was of the semi-final or final. Harmanpreet felt coming back to the “very special” DY Patil Stadium will always be accompanied by happy memories.
“We exactly remember where the last catch was taken, and what happened after that,” said Smriti. “The 16 of us, whenever we come here, we will always remember that.”
The 16 of them will turn up for different franchises over the next week here, before the five-team, two-city WPL caravan moves to Vadodara. Jemimah Rodrigues, the ‘MVP’ of the semi-final win over Australia, will wear the ‘C’ tag for Delhi Capitals. Deepti Sharma, player of the World Cup, remains the face on the posters for the revamped UP Warriorz that picked Aussie great Meg Lanning to lead.
Into its fourth season, WPL has played its part in making these players household names in India and giving them a franchise-based identity. But if the first three seasons were more about providing a platform for women’s cricket in India, this one would do well to be about taking it higher.
Not just with what was done by the Indian team in the ODI World Cup, but, perhaps more contextually from the WPL lens, also with what it sets out to do in six months in the T20 World Cup in England.
“It’s just been about one-and-a-half months, and I’m sure this WPL is going to carry the momentum that the (ODI) World Cup gave. And, hopefully, it just keeps continuing,” said Smriti.
Harmanpreet touched upon the larger picture of Indian women’s cricket not wanting to be satisfied with just one World Cup. “This (WPL) season, we have some very exciting young talent to see,” said the India captain.
And so from a league that shaped the entry of the Shree Charanis and Kranti Gauds into the national setup, this season could be a timely opportunity for some young faces to get noticed with the World Cup looming.
“If there’s an exciting talent, and someone has an extraordinary season, I’m sure there could be a place in the T20 World Cup. She’ll second that,” Smriti said, looking at Harmanpreet. “Everyone knows that if you have a good WPL, you have a chance, especially with a T20 World Cup coming up.”
The opener has herself laid out a couple of to-do boxes from WPL with an eye on the World Cup. She wants to get better at her lap shot – “the reverse sweep is still work in progress” – and make conscious efforts to hit sixes.
Should it rain sixes from Smriti’s bat, Season 2 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could find themselves having a great shot at a second title. Even with a rejigged squad, a different head coach in Malolan Rangarajan and a giant Ellyse Perry-sized hole.
“We knew she wasn’t going to be available pre-auction, which is better. I mean, no one can fill her shoes for sure... but I feel we still have an amazing team,” said Smriti.
Two-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have retained the core of an amazing team that won the trophy last year. Notwithstanding Lisa Keightley alongside her as the new head coach, Harmanpreet doesn’t wish to change too many things. “Whatever has given us the result in the past, I try and go with the same thing,” she said.
What isn’t the same are captains of the three other franchises, with UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants, under Australian Ashleigh Gardner, also bringing in revamped squads in their hunt for a first final.
Sprinkled across these franchises, India’s World Cup champions will turn up with new objectives for this WPL. And, some old memories.
“Maybe tomorrow (Friday), if she is standing at covers,” said Smriti of Harmanpreet, whose final World Cup act saw her take the winning catch running back from covers, “I’ll say to our girls, ‘don’t hit there’.”
