'I’m going to be scared about what’s coming out of India'- Devine on Women's IPL

Legendary White Ferns' all-rounder Sophie Devine believes that a full-fledged Women's IPL will be a massive boost for Indian cricket and that she is "scared" about "what's coming out from India."

The call for a Women's IPL has intensified in the last few years, with cricketers like Australia's Alyssa Healy stating that the tournament will unlock untapped talent in India, making the side "unbeatable" in a decade.

Divine, who led the White Ferns' in the recent 50-over World Cup, echoed the same during a recent interview with the Scroll.

"From an outsider's perspective, it certainly is the next step for me. And you know, sounds here's some really encouraging move towards hopefully a women's IPL next year. Yeah, I echo Alyssa's comments that as soon as that tournament happens, I'm going to be scared about what's coming out of India," 

Devine also lauded the Indian system for producing world-beating talents like Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma over the years.

She also added that the exposure young girls would get after rubbing their shoulders with the international stars will elevate their game to the next level.

"We've already seen the likes of Smriti Mandhana, some of these young players coming through, obviously Shafali Verma as well... there's so much talent there. And the more exposure that they get to overseas players, again, playing more cricket at a higher standard, their game is just going to go up," she added.

While it remains to be seen when the Women's IPL will see the light of the day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently gave a green signal to it.

However, this year, the Women's T20 Challenge- a three-team, four-match tournament- will take place during the IPL playoffs.

The tournament will take place between May 23-28 in Pune.