Women's IPL - India shows the way!
With the 2nd-highest valuation in women's sports after WNBA, Women's IPL is creating waves. It also says something about how India celebrates its women. It is also quite pathbreaking!
Happy women’s day! This women’s day, I want to highlight the landmark event in women’s professional sport.
India loves and respects women.
MSM loves to write a lot of bad things about women in India. Yes, bad incidents have happened to women in India. But there is no systematic repression of women in India. To us Indians, women leaders, women in power and acknowledging women’s performance and talents is natural.
Unlike many developed nations, women have found their way to the top positions in almost every field. At one time, many CEOs of banks and financial institutions in India were women. Other Indian companies too have been headed by women with easy elegance, talent and hard-nosed business acumen. Agri-products, technology, finance, FMCG, Pharma and many other industries have seen women in top positions. I have never found people apprehensive about the leadership of women.
Women have also dominated and felicitated in other areas equally. Women are now making their mark in the armed forces too.
Yet, Women’s IPL is something special.
The Women’s IPL Cricket has commenced, and the first few matches have been fantastic. Valued at $500 million (approx) at the inauguration with 5 teams, it is already half the valuation of the WNBA, the US Women’s College Basket Ball League featuring 12 teams and more extended history.
Other cricket leagues are created in a similar style as domestic cricket. The players get fixed pay as per contract, just like national cricket teams. Per contra, WPL’s reward system is structured like professional sports. This allows star players to get very high pay based on the assessment of the competing franchises.
Women cricketers across the world are feeling the change in dynamics. Many overseas players want to play in the Women’s IPL.
If you play it right, WPL will be bigger than WNBA in 10 years. The opportunities for women professional cricketers, coaches, and support staff are enormous. With a pool of resources in coaching, sports nutrition, and sports medicine that build on men’s professional sports too, we can expect second-order economic and social effects. This augers well for India.
But more importantly, this is path-breaking global leadership.
Already other countries are sitting up and taking notes. WPL will create more such leagues in other sports. It can really unleash a new era of high-paying professional sports for women.
This is no longer India respecting women. Rather, it is India showing the world a way into women’s professional sports. It is taking women’s sports and women athletes to the next level of prosperity.
Here is a toast to the success of Women’s IPL!