NEWS
Follow UsWomen’s cricket in India is at an all-time high, with more and more eyeballs on the sport. While it has not only broken several records in terms of broadcast, it has also reached a new high in terms of people flocking to watch the sport in the country.
Last year, several of India’s home games were filled, with boards of ‘sold-out’ hanging outside the stadium. Alice Capsey has had a first-hand experience of crowd support in India, and she hailed it as a dream to play in front of big crowds with the Delhi Capitals.
“Huge honour to be picked by the Delhi Capital, a franchise that has been widely very successful. I think you look at how India loves cricket. As other countries, you always associate India with the cricketing nation,” Capsey said at Delhi Capitals’ jersey launch event here in Bengaluru.
“It is what every overseas female player dreams of, to get to play in front of big crowds, it is a real privilege to be part of the franchise,” she had to add.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who was the other player at the event, also spoke about how this sport is a big blessing and insisted that the friendships that they make at the tournament are for a lifetime.
“Playing this sport is a blessing, it is not just about you and your game, it is about getting to interact with people and friendships. It will last a lifetime. It is great to get to do what you love, meet people outside your culture, and know their culture. It is such a blessing, more than I can ask for,” Jemimah said at the event.
Capsey also spoke about the friendship she shares with Jemimah, stating that the Women's Premier League (WPL) presents overseas players with the perfect opportunity to learn new things.
“We just played a series against India; it is beautiful that countries can come together and learn from each other. That kind of relationship, you know, you get to meet a lot of people from different cultures,” Capsey said of playing in India.
“I have known Jemi (Jemimah) for some time now; we have played together at the WBBL and stuff. It is nice to be in another team with her. Everyone wants cricket to improve in their country, which can only happen by playing in different teams and improving the relationship. It is amazing to be in India and be part of the WPL,” she had to add.
Even before the first edition of WPL kicked off, it was at an interesting place - Naturals (a popular ice cream place) - that Jemimah realised that the WPL was going to take off.
“I will sum it up in one story: after our game last year, Arundhati (Roy), Taara Norris, and I went to Naturals. There was a lot of crowd there. There was a guy there watching the IPL, and he told his partner, “There is a women’s premier league as well”. I was all ears; whatever answer I got, I knew it would be raw and honest. ‘Kya solid khelte hai yeh ladikyan (They play quite solid cricket). That day only I realised that women’s cricket had arrived.”
