Exploring the Women's Premier League Cricket Tournament

Image Source: Wisden

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) T20 cricket tournament has opened up new opportunities for female cricketers, who are now getting more endorsement deals at par with some male Indian cricketers, and even attracting new categories. Sports talent management agency, FairPlay Sports, notes that Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar are now bagging endorsement deals of the same size as their male counterparts, barring those playing in the national team.

Emerging female cricketers are also getting the limelight as there is plenty of opportunity at the regional level. Due to the WPL, newer categories of brands have come forward, and more women-centric brands are now ready to support female cricketers.

Many female cricketers are getting more endorsements due to their participation in the WPL, such as Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who are seeing an increase in their endorsement portfolio. The WPL is a game-changer for female cricketers as more IPL franchises are going global, creating wider appeal for WPL players, and allowing more women-centric brands that had not previously looked at the IPL to associate with female cricketers.

Social media and digital campaigns are also boosting the brand value of female cricketers, with many campaigns being launched on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Thanks to the success of the WPL, other sports federations are now looking at starting leagues for women players, such as the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), which recently announced its plans to start a women’s version of the tournament.

Staff Reporter