'More than men’s team...': Sourav Ganguly's bonafide statement on women's cricket after WPL auction
Sourav Ganguly issued a noteworthy statement about women's cricket ahead of WPL 2024.
With women's cricket witnessing an upward trajectory in recent years, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has issued a bold statement following the conclusion of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction in Mumbai on Saturday. Former India skipper Ganguly is the Director of Cricket at the Delhi Capitals (DC). The former Board of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president attended the WPL 2024 auction at which the Delhi-based franchise roped in Australia's Annabel Sutherland for the forthcoming edition.
Talking about the emergence of the WPL, former India skipper Ganguly opined that women's cricket has reached new heights since 2019, perhaps more than the men's counterparts. Just like the Indian Premier League (IPL), the WPL has been busy transforming the fortunes of cricket globally since its inception. Speaking to Jio Cinema, former India skipper Ganguly discussed the rise and rise of women's cricket.
'Women's cricket progressed more than men's since 2019'
“The progress the women’s cricket in India has made since 2019 is, perhaps, more than the men’s team. The men’s team has always been very good. But from where the women’s team was to where they went -- from winning the Asia Cup, the way they played in the World Cups. They were the best team in the Commonwealth Games (runners-up in 2022),” Ganguly was quoted as saying.
“Harmanpreet, Smriti, you name them, Richa, Jemimah, Shafali, the way they have progressed is impressive. When Jhulan (Goswami) finished, we thought where the next seamer would come from, and then Renuka (Singh) Thakur has developed over the last three years. So, that’s the best thing about women’s cricket," Ganguly added.
The Director of Cricket at DC also welcomed the franchise's latest signings ahead of the new season. Finalists in the inaugural edition of the WPL, DC acquired the services of Australian star Sutherland for ₹2 crore at the Mumbai auction. “I think Ashwani Kumari is someone who they (DC) kept an eye on because she can hit the ball a long way and she bowls. We needed a back-up keeper, so we got another keeper. We had three slots to fill, we knew one will always be the most important one and we got (Annabel) Sutherland,” said Ganguly, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in IPL.
