From March 4th to the 26th, two different sites in Mumbai will host the first-ever WPL tournament.
Urooj Mumtaz, a former Pakistan captain, lamented the “unfortunate” lack of Pakistani players in the first season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). On Monday, the auction for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) wrapped up, marking a historic moment in the development of women’s cricket. Everything about the event was exciting and unexpected, and it has the potential to improve the sport and the lives of thousands of people who are connected to it.
The great Indian opener Smriti Mandhana was the first player ever selected in the auction. The Royal Challengers Bangalore spent a colossal sum of Rs 3.4 crore to get her services, making her the most expensive player in the WPL. Her captain and batting star, Harmanpreet Kaur, was signed by Mumbai Indians for INR 1.8 crore mere minutes after. Many bids were placed on foreign performers at the auction.
One country, though, would be unable to take advantage of this chance, as Pakistani cricketers were never even considered for inclusion in the auction list.
Urooj Mumtaz expressed his disappointment in the lack of opportunities for Pakistani players to ESPNcricinfo.
“Every chance should be given to every player, and every chance is a step towards improving the women’s game and expanding it worldwide. The most essential thing they do is close the quality gap between cricketing nations “her comment added.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL), a men’s Twenty20 cricket tournament, kicked up on Monday with players from Pakistan. Since Ramiz Raja’s December replacement by Najam Sethi as board chairman, plans to launch the first women’s T20 competition this season have been canceled. Now, the earliest that the league can begin is in September.
Bismah Maroof, captain of the Pakistani team, responded to a question regarding the WPL auction by saying that Pakistani athletes would “love to compete” in any league after their team’s match against India in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
“We Pakistanis, as you well know, don’t get a lot of chances to play in the leagues, which is a shame. Without a doubt, we’d want to get into the leagues and would take whatever chance we can get. But, hey, that’s the way it is, and we have no say in the matter “said Maroof at a news conference held by the ICC.
From March 4th to the 26th, two different sites in Mumbai will host the first-ever WPL tournament.
