What is WPL’s actual level of success? The solution may be found in the last

<p>On March 8, 2020, women’s cricket saw a historic event as Australia and India entered a crowded Melbourne Cricket Ground. 86, 174 spectators attending a women’s cricket match was a first for anybody.</p>
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<p>It was the most significant day in the early careers of Shafali Verma, then 15 years old, and Richa Ghosh, then 16 years old. Though Verma had dominated the whole tournament, she was unable to leave her imprint in the final. Ghosh, who replaced Verma due to a concussion, made her shots, but it was insufficient. Verma was devastated after the game, but her skill was evident to everyone who saw her play at the World Cup and even in the tri-series leading up to the main event.</p>
<p>It has been four years. During this period, they have participated in the first season of the WPL, guided India to the country’s first-ever U19 T20 World Cup title, and represented the senior team in two ICC competitions. Verma and Ghosh had different seasons; Verma finished as the Delhi Capitals’ second-highest run scorer while Ghosh struggled to establish herself with the elite Royal Challengers Bangalore. But you just need to glance at the Women’s Premier League’s second season’s stats to see how much they’ve improved.</p>
<p>This time, Ghosh has played the ideal finisher and wicketkeeper position, amassing 240 runs in the season, second only to skipper Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry, while Verma, who started for the Capitals with Meg Lanning, is the third-highest run scorer of the year. With a strike rate of 156.85, Verma leads all batters with at least 100 runs scored in the season in runs scored. Ghosh is third on the list with a strike rate of 143.71. Verma has smacked 20 sixes this season, so she has no competition when it comes to smashing sixes. It should come as no surprise that Ghosh secured the second position with her ten sixes in eight innings.</p>
<p>Even if the first season was different for them both, they have shown with this season’s performance that they are a part of this stage. This season, both of them have approached their business with an extra layer of maturity. Verma has always been talented, but she seems much more polished now that she has played two seasons in the WPL. Ghosh has practiced taking wickets in addition to her batting. After starting again, she improved to become one of the nation’s top wicketkeepers. The season’s 13 dismissals are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of her dominating influence.</p>
<p>The fact that these two, who are just in their early 20s, are going up against some of the world’s most seasoned bowlers, shows you just how vital it is to have a league like the WPL. And that gets us to the second season final, when these two celebrities competed against one another. Verma carried out her regular duties for the duration of the season.</p>
<p>Verma would not let the opponent to give up, even in the early stages of the powerplay when her captain was having difficulty finding her feat. It was a magnificent six off Sophie Molineux that set her free. The 19 runs she scored off the first-choice bowler for the Indian national team, Renuka Singh Thakur, came next. When Verma hammered a full delivery over the bowler’s head, even Ellyse Perry could only stare.</p>
<p>Verma was hitting at a strike rate of 200 on the powerplay, but her removal caused the Delhi Capitals to crumble, as they were all out for 113. On a pitch when other batters found it difficult to produce a hit, Verma had done her job with the bat. Fittingly, Ghosh scored the game-winning runs to help RCB win the 2024 WPL.</p>
<p>At least in women’s cricket, the legacy of the franchise leagues is still determined by the development of the present talent and the bench strength they generate. It’s too soon to discuss the WPL’s bench strength, but it has surely given these rising players a stage on which to express themselves. This is the WPL’s biggest accomplishment as of right now.</p>
<p>Brief scores: DC 113 lost to RCB 115/2 in 19.3 overs (Mandhana 31, Devine 32, Perry 35 n.o) after being all out in 18.3 overs (Shafali 44; Shreyanka 4/12, Molineux 3/20).</p>