Former India Women’s cricket team skipper Mithali Raj has been appointed as mentor and advisor for the Gujarat Giants – the Adani Group-owned franchise – for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which will take place in March.
Mithali has been one of the strongest advocates of an IPL-style women’s franchise league in India. Now in her capacity as a mentor and advisor at Giants, the Jaipur-born will also promote women’s cricket at the grassroots level in their home state of Gujarat.
Notably, on January 25, Adani Sportsline – the sports development wing of the Adani Group – purchased the Ahmedabad-based team for INR 1289 crore (USD 158 million approx.). Apart from the Adani Group, Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd (Mumbai) – INR 912.99 crores, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd (Bengaluru) – INR 901 crores, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd (Delhi) – INR 810 crores, Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd (Lucknow) – INR 757 crores were the other successful bidders.
Mithali reckoned that the WPL would boost the women’s cricket scene in India and inspire the girls to take up cricket as a serious profession.
“The inaugural season of the WPL is a fantastic move for women’s cricket, and the involvement of the Adani Group is a massive boost for the sport as well. Women’s cricket is growing steadily, and this kind of impetus will undoubtedly encourage young women to consider taking up cricket professionally. I believe that the high-impact participation of corporates will help hasten the process of eventually bringing more glory to India. This level of influence can help strengthen the sporting ecosystem and enhance opportunities for women athletes,” said Mithali in an official statement.
Reportedly, the WPL is likely to be played between March 4 and March 24, and the players’ auction is set for early February. It will have auction purses of INR 12 crore (USD 1.46 million approx) per team. Each franchise can buy a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 players, including seven overseas ones, of which one must be from an Associate country. Further, WPL teams will also have the option of fielding up to five overseas players in the XI.
