Franchise cricket could affect women's cricket: Heather Knight
England skipper Heather Knight in action against West Indies [Source: Twitter]
England Women are currently touring West Indies for a limited-overs tour and hold a 4-0 lead in the five T20I series after clinching the One-Day International (ODI) 3-0. Led by Heather Knight, who is making a return from an injury layoff ahead of the final encounter tonight, spoke about how administrators need to ensure that women's cricket does not suffer with franchise cricket cropping up across the globe.
This year witnessed the inaugural season of the Women's Caribbean Premier League, apart from the The Hundred Women and the Women's Big Bash League taking place, which sees two more entrants in the BCCI's planned Women's Indian Premier League and PCB's proposed four-team Women's T20 League commencing early next year.
According to TOI, Knight compared the current state of men's cricket, which constantly sees a debate between players struggling to manage between national and league aspirations.
"You see the changes that are happening in the men's game and actually, I think the changes in the women's game could affect things more if people decide to go down the franchise route and play less cricket for more money, potentially.
I think international cricket needs to be looked after and it might affect the women's game more with the difference in professionalism around the world and the difference in some teams in the depth, because of the differences in domestic leagues and things like that. It's been a little reminder, I think, that international cricket really needs to be looked after and invested in."
However, unlike Knight, several female cricketers have praised BCCI for introducing WIPL next year.
Also Read: IPL Mini-Auction 2023: All you need to know Players, Slots, Purse, Live Streaming, Squads