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One of Indian Women's cricket's brightest stars, Jemimah Rodrigues, has made an earnest appeal for a women's IPL or a more competitive T20 Challenge. She said that even if such a tournament is a shorter version of the men's IPL or even if it's not televised at all, it would go a long way in developing the women's game.
Rodrigues made her remarks in an interview with premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter's YouTube channel. The 21-year-old also said that like the men's IPL, the women's tournament might also develop with time and produce international stars in the near future. She said:
"I have played domestic cricket a lot, and I also follow the Mumbai team. I feel we can start with a Women's T20 Challenge, maybe not an eight-team pool but a five or six-team, just start it off because only then will we know if we have the players or not."
"I can ask you about this, the IPL, how it started and how it has picked on... we have got so many IPL players currently a part of the Indian team, maybe even as the mainstays of the team. I would also say that if you want, don't televise it, at least, start if off; let us be a part of that competitiveness," said Jemimah Rodrigues on the show "What's Up With Women's Cricket".
When asked by Ashwin to explain the reasons behind her 'don't televise' statement, Rodrigues said she feels stakeholders in India might be balking at a women's IPL, as it may not meet their expectations. She said:
"I don't know. In the end I just want to go out and play matches because just maybe, this is what I am assuming, please don't get me wrong, that people might be thinking 'What if it doesn't work out?' 'What if it's not as good as it's expected to be?', and that's why they are holding it back... Obviously we want the Women's T20 Challenge to happen, and BCCI is trying a lot to do so. But there are always these questions. 'We might not have the players', then maybe we can start with lesser teams."
Jemimah Rodrigues also cited the example of her teammate Shafali Verma in her pitch for a women's IPL. She said it was the T20 Challenge that gave Verma the right platform to showcase her talent and become the widely-renowned player she is today. That might help other youngsters in the same way. Rodrigues said:
"You might find many more people like Shafali Verma. She made her debut in the Indian women's team after the T20 Challenge. Everybody knew she could smack it in domestic, but that time the fastest bowler, (Lea) Tahuhu bowled a bouncer, and she pulled it."
"This young 15-year-old just pulled it, and that's what caught the selectors that if she can do it here, she can do it for the Indian team, and now she's one of the best batters in T20," Jemimah Rodrigues added.
Jemimah Rodrigues picks the team she would like to represent in a women's IPL
When asked to pick a team she would like to represent if a women's IPL takes shape, Jemimah Rodrigues picked her home franchise Mumbai Indians. Ashwin then asked her if she would like to captain the team, to which Rodriguez replied:
"I don't mind being the captain (chuckles). I love that responsibility. I love captaining the Mumbai team. I was made the captain when I was 17, and I like the added responsibility put on me to lead the team and lead from the front."
Jemimah Rodrigues has played 68 internationals for India, scoring over 1000 runs. She has also represented the Trailblazers in the T20 Challenge.
Jemimah Rodriguez was recently one of the highest scorers in The Hundred while playing for Northern Superchargers Women.
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