How has IPL influenced women's cricket globally?


IPL 2023 Winner

the IPL's influence on women’s cricket is subtle, powerful, and still evolving. It’s not just about what happens on the field, but how visibility, investment, and global mindsets around women’s cricket are changing thanks to the IPL’s ripple effect.

Let’s break it down 🔍:

🧨 1. WPL: The Most Direct Impact

  • In 2023, the BCCI launched the Women’s Premier League (WPL)—India’s answer to the IPL for women.

  • It immediately became the second-richest women’s cricket league in the world, after the Hundred (UK)—but with way more star power and broadcast reach.

🚀 Global Influence:

  • Players from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and even the USA now see WPL as a career-defining tournament.

  • Just like the IPL did for men, the WPL is turning women’s cricket into a viable full-time profession.

🌍 2. Raising the Global Bar for Women’s T20 Leagues

  • The success of the IPL (and now WPL) has pressured other boards to improve their women’s leagues:

    • The Hundred (England) boosted its prize money.

    • Women’s Big Bash League (Australia) got more prime-time slots.

    • FairBreak Invitational (a global women’s T20 league) gained traction and sponsors.

The IPL model made it clear: There’s a huge market for elite women’s cricket.

📺 3. Visibility & Star Creation

  • The IPL’s production standards—camera angles, replays, commentary, marketing—are now being used in WPL, which helps:

    • Turn women cricketers into household names

    • Attract younger fans, especially girls

    • Drive YouTube, Reels, and TikTok cricket content around players like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry

💸 4. Better Pay, More Professionalism

  • Before WPL, women cricketers earned from national contracts, minor leagues, and sponsorships (often limited).

  • Now?

    • Smriti Mandhana was signed for ₹3.4 crore (~$410,000)—the highest for an Indian woman cricketer.

    • Foreign stars like Ash Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Beth Mooney also landed six-figure deals.

This has:

  • Uplifted overall salary standards

  • Encouraged girls in countries like Nepal, Thailand, USA, Ireland to chase pro cricket dreams

🧠 5. Development of Global Talent

  • Just like IPL uncovers hidden male talent from Afghanistan, Nepal, or the Caribbean...

  • The WPL (inspired by IPL) is already:

    • Scouting young Indian and foreign talent (like Shabnam Ismail or Titas Sadhu)

    • Giving exposure to Associate Nation players (Thailand, USA, UAE) in future editions

🔄 6. Shifting Board Priorities

  • Boards like the ECB, CA, and CSA are now lobbying for their women players to be available for WPL.

  • Countries are adjusting domestic calendars to allow women to play in WPL—something that used to happen only for men’s IPL.

🧭 TL;DR:

The IPL didn’t just inspire a women's league—it rewired how women's cricket is perceived globally.
It pushed visibility, pay, and professionalism into a new era, and the ripple effect is being felt from Sydney to Sussex to San Francisco.

Want a visual timeline of how the IPL led to the WPL and beyond? Or maybe a “then vs now” comparison of women’s cricket metrics pre- and post-WPL launch?