Sunil Gavaskar hopes to see creation of women's Indian Premier League
Tuesday 10 March 2020 11:58, UK
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has called for the emergence of a women's Indian Premier League.
A record 86, 174 fans watched the final of the women's T20 World Cup at the MCG on Sunday, with Australia beating India to win the trophy for a record-extending fifth time.
The Women's Big Bash League and Women's Cricket Super League have been the main domestic women's tournaments since starting in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Gavaskar thinks the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), which is led by another former India skipper in Sourav Ganguly, should now look at creating its own tournament like the men's IPL.
"To Sourav Ganguly and the BCCI, I would say is, look at, obviously this year is not going to be possible, but next year, having a women's IPL because that will earn lot more talent," he told India Today.
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"I've been asking for a women's IPL for the last couple of years ever since I saw the finals at Lord's 2017. That is where you actually saw that there is potential for a women's IPL.
"And like I said, it doesn't necessarily have to start with an eight-team IPL, it can start maybe with a five-team or four-team IPL or WIPL or whatever you might want to call it. But I think if you start with that, there'll be more talent that will come to the fore, just like it has for the men's team."
Gavaskar pointed to the Women's Big Bash League in Australia as part of the reason why their international team has been so successful in recent years.
"That is a tournament where you get to play the best players in the world, and you learn from them. But like the IPL, majority of the players in the WBBL are Australian women players in that, and that certainly has helped them to find that many more players.
"A women's IPL will make a lot of sense because that will mean there will be a lot more exposure for the women, there will be a lot more talent, which is probably there, but we don't know at the moment whether it will come to the fore. And then as the years go by Indian women's team will start winning a lot more trophies."
The men's 2020 IPL starts on Sunday, May 29, with every game live on Sky Sports.
