'Some of the Audience were More Interested in Women's IPL than Men's': Harmapreet on Success of WPL 2023

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MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on the success of the WPL and asserted that the followers of the game were more interested in women’s matches than men’s

One of the biggest highlights of Indian cricket in 2023 was the inception of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) which saw Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians winning the inaugural title. After years of discussion and planning, the tournament came to the fore and set a benchmark in the history of the game. The inaugural edition of the WPL featured five teams with a plethora of superstars from different corners of the world. People looked forward to every game and their excitement was evident when they turned up in large numbers across two venues in Mumbai.

MI skipper Harmanpreet opened up on the success of the WPL and asserted that the followers of the game were more interested in women’s matches than men’s. The Indian batter, who is representing the Trent Rockets in The Hundred Women’s, featured in the Daggers & Lyds podcast where he spoke about the impact of the inaugural WPL.

“The response we got during the WPL; some of the audience were more interested in Women’s IPL than Men’s because it was something new to watch and they liked it,” Harmanpreet said.

“Hopefully, after some years, we will add some more teams,” she added.

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— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 15, 2023

Asked if she sees that happening, Harmanpreet said, “I don’t know when it will happen but eventually, it should. We have good talents back home and those girls should get the opportunity. Hopefully, maybe after a couple of years if we can add some more teams, some more overseas players can come and play in the league and more domestic players would get a chance.”

“I’m pretty sure that after some years we might see maybe two more teams getting added,” she added.

The WPL 2023 triumph for Harmanpreet

Back in March 2023, Harmanpreet Kaur became the first captain to win the Women’s Premier League (WPL) title as Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets in the final. Chasing 132, Nat Sciver-Brunt notched up a fifty and scripted MI’s triumph. She returned unbeaten on 60 off 55 balls while Amelia Kerr scored 14 not out off just 8 deliveries.