CWG 2022: "Our domestic level is not that great" - Harmanpreet Kaur on the only thing the Indian women's team is lacking
Harmanpreet Kaur believes the upcoming Women's IPL will help bridge the vast gap between domestic and international cricket, an area which has proved to be the Indian eves' stumbling block in recent times.
The Indian women's team bagged a creditable silver medal at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022. Their only two defeats in the event came against mighty Australia, both by narrow margins and from seemingly winning positions.
During an interaction on the Sports 18 show 'Sports Over the Top', Harmanpreet Kaur was asked if she was excited about the women's version of the IPL, which is going to start soon. She replied:
"Yes, definitely, I think that is a great platform where domestic players can perform and get that experience. The only thing I personally feel we are lacking is that because our domestic level is not that great and suddenly you are coming to the Indian team and then you feel a lot of pressure."
The Indian women's team skipper pointed out that domestic players will gain immensely by rubbing shoulders with the best in the world, elaborating:
"I feel if we get Women's IPL, then our domestic players will also get a chance to play with overseas players and that experience will definitely help us when some youngster, who is coming [in]to the team, will not feel that pressure which eventually they feel when they come and play international games."
The first ever women's IPL is to be held in March 2023 😍🇮🇳
#IPL #CricketTwitter #IndianCricketTeam https://t.co/TrzCj7iA8w
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to stage the inaugural edition of the Women's IPL in March 2023. The league will hopefully help bridge the gap between the Indian team and the all-conquering Australians as the domestic players will get the experience to play in crunch situations.
"We decided to play dominating cricket" - Harmanpreet Kaur happy with team's Commonwealth Games performance
Harmanpreet Kaur was also asked about her Commonwealth Games experience. She responded:
"It was a great experience for all of us because we were participating for the first time and we got a great platform [on which] to perform. I am really happy with the way we performed because before leaving for the Commonwealth Games we decided to play dominating cricket and the team did a really great job."
The swashbuckling batter was further asked how much the experience of playing in leagues across the world had helped her in the Commonwealth Games, to which she replied:
"When you get a chance to play other leagues, it really helps you. Personally, these things really helped me, it helps to boost your confidence. You get a chance to play with overseas players, you share your experience with them, you learn a lot from them."
Here's how the Indian players performed in the Women's Big Bash League 2021 🇮🇳
The Indian T20I skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur was the most run-scorer as well as the highest wicket-taker among the Indians 💪
#WBBL #WBBL2021 #India #TeamIndia https://t.co/CwjNAxDrcD
Harmanpreet Kaur was the Women's Big Bash League's (WBBL) Player of the Tournament last season. Although the 33-year-old is not a part of the ongoing 'The Hundred', the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma are showcasing their talent in the tournament.