What IPL has done for men's cricket, I'm sure WPL has just started to do that: Smriti Mandhana

India women's vice-captain Smriti Mandhana feels that the Women's Premier League (WPL) is steadily creating a similar ripple effect on women's cricket as the Indian Premier League (IPL) did for men's cricket since its inception in 2008.

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The elegant left-handed opener pointed out at the WPL, which started in 2023, has infused a sense of aspiration among young girls which she feels is an encouraging sign for the future of women's cricket in the country. "For sure, in the last three years, we have seen the way WPL has grown as well, and the amount of girls coming out to watch WPL matches. I think 4-5 years back you would see a lot of guys watching games in the stands. But now I think we see a clear shift in a lot of even girls coming to watch games. "Like, small girls are coming up to us as well, and saying that we aspire to be cricketers, which is a really nice thing. WPL for sure has played a major impact in terms of the way I think T20 cricket has reached, and the entertainment value it definitely gets. What IPL has done for men's cricket over the last 17 years, I am sure WPL has just started to do that," Smriti told a select group of media hosted by Cricket Predicta