2 Cheers, 1 Complaint

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has given us exciting cricket and some great new stars. But it has also shown that women’s cricket is still not treated as equally important as men’s cricket.

First, the good news. In 2025, Indian women won the ODI World Cup — the biggest prize in cricket. After that, everyone expected the 2026 WPL to be full of energy and excitement. And in many ways, it was.

The league helped new players shine. One big example is Gautami Naik, who became the first Indian player without an international cap to score a half-century in the WPL. Earlier WPL seasons were also very important because they helped Indian women practise playing under pressure against top players. That experience helped India win the World Cup. With the T20 World Cup coming up in England this summer, fans hope the same thing will happen again.

There were also strong leaders. Smriti Mandhana led Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Jemimah Rodrigues led Delhi Capitals, and both teams reached the final. This showed how much they have grown as captains. Coaches say the game is improving fast. Former England player Sarah Taylor said the players are now much more powerful than they were just a year ago. More teams may also join soon, as CSK has said it wants a women’s team in the future.

Now, the complaint. After winning the World Cup, fans expected the women’s team to get a big victory parade, like the men often do. That never happened. Also, the number of cities hosting WPL matches went down from four to just two. Some matches in Navi Mumbai were even played with no fans because of local elections.

It’s okay if men’s cricket gets lots of attention. But women’s cricket should not be pushed aside or made to feel second best. After everything they have achieved, the women deserve better.

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