Vijayawada, August 16: The Women’s Andhra Premier League (WAPL) was officially launched on Saturday, with former Indian captain Mitali Raj in attendance. Mitali emphasized that leagues like this provide rural players the chance to dream big and play high-quality cricket.
In a conversation with reporters, Mitali stated, “I believe that for the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), bidding for the Andhra Women’s Premier League and securing four teams is a significant milestone. This is a major achievement, as the ACA has been promoting women’s cricket for a long time. Over the past two years, they have emerged as an association that emphasizes having a fully female staff for their women’s teams—whether it’s the senior team, under-23, under-19, or under-15 teams. They are also trying to organize numerous matches for district-level players.”
Mitali noted that the auction for the Andhra Women’s Premier League demonstrates the value of women’s cricket in Andhra Pradesh. She mentioned that with franchises and businessmen joining the league, it will continue to grow. According to Mitali, such leagues are crucial as they create an ecosystem for rural players to dream big. Participating in this league also gives them the opportunity to play at a higher level.
She added that the impact the Women’s Premier League has had on the Indian women’s cricket team will be mirrored for the Andhra women’s cricket team. Mitali expressed hope that this league will bring forth many talented players who will excel in cricket. The former captain remarked, “This is a great time for women’s cricket in our country and in Andhra Pradesh. For a long time, we haven’t seen any international players, but recently we witnessed Shree Charani, who was part of the Indian team that won the ODI World Cup. Then there’s Shabnam, who is an under-19 World Cup winner. We will see more players from Andhra Pradesh representing the country.”
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