Franchise cricket brings different sort of professionalism for state-level girls to experience: Smriti Mandhana

Speaking ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women's Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL), Ratnagiri Jets captain and icon player Smriti Mandhana shared her thoughts on the rise of women’s T20 leagues, the growing impact of franchise cricket on the women’s game, her role with the Ratnagiri Jets as a source of inspiration in the WMPL, and the importance of establishing structured grassroots programs.

Mandhana, praised the growing women's T20 leagues trends in Maharashtra which further helps the prospects of identifying key talent for the national side:

“For state associations, and for Maharashtra as well, to have this sort of platform—where I touched upon the fact that there’ll be a lot of eyes from WPL scouts—and also, of course, these sorts of performances can serve as a benchmark for people to get into the state side as well. So, I mean, to have that is great. And more importantly, I always believe that franchise cricket brings a different sort of professionalism into the sport, and for the girls—the state-level girls—to experience that, I’m sure they’ll be well-prepped when they go to the next level. So, yeah, I mean, the owners come with a different set of expectations, and playing with that sort of expectation always helps groom players and develop maturity in them. So, I’m sure a lot of Maharashtra girls are going to benefit from it.”

Mandhana shared her views on her association with the Ratnagiri Jets and Jets Club, and the importance of a woman's perspective in having such structured programs for their benefit and future prospects:

"Yeah, I mean, to get that at the age of 14–15 is great. Of course, we got it a little later, so we had to start developing it by looking at international standards. But the best thing about India at this moment, with women's cricket, is the investment that’s coming in—and the investment they get to groom a player. I mean, very late in our careers, we realized the importance of fitness and all of those things. But I'm sure the club and the initiative are only going to promote or help them understand more about what is actually needed for the next level, and I’m sure they’ll be well-prepped. So, like, clubs and all of these people coming into cricket—I mean, men’s cricket already had that—and for them to now come into women’s cricket is just amazing. I'm sure a lot of girls are going to benefit from it. In terms of the number of girls getting impacted, it's going to be a lot more, and I’m sure within 3–4 years we’ll see the changes and differences, even in the Indian side and their performances.

Mandhana, speaks as a Captain of Ratnagiri Jets said, on corporate leagues are promoting women’s cricket:

“I feel, for women's cricket to have this sort of stage is amazing, and the very fact that state associations and also the WPL—the way they have supported it—shows that, of course, women's cricket can generate revenues, which is an amazing thing for women's cricket. And people are ready to invest money into it. I mean, the more professional the sport gets, it's only going to get better, especially for grassroots-level cricketers. For them, I think this is just amazing. So, from my point of view, of course, promotion is one thing, but I think we are well beyond that in women's cricket. I see it as people being ready to invest, and that shows that women's cricket is growing and people want to watch it.”

Mandhana, on winning the title in the inaugural season of WMPL and handling pressure:

“I mean, the first time I spoke to them and they—of course, after the introduction—said they’d won the first two editions, and I was like, “Oh, okay.” But no, not pressure. I mean, you know, someone who’s already won it—and as Devika ma’am said, they’ve been part of the MPL—so they know what is needed for franchise cricket, especially in state cricket. You know, to have that awareness is amazing, and that’s only going to help. I wouldn’t take it as pressure. I mean, pressure is there every time you step on the field, so you don’t need to take any added pressure. Whenever you wear a jersey and represent a team, you want to do the best for them—so that pressure is always there. But we’ll take that as motivation rather than pressure.”

Mandhana's message for the team and opinion on leading the side:

”Firstly, I’ll, of course, have a nice conversation with them, and the only message which I believe in is: you play cricket to have fun, enjoy, and actually have a really positive environment. Because, like, you win trophies, you don’t win trophies—but what you remember is the journey of that one month or those 20 days when we are going to be part of one squad. And that's the only thing. I mean, let’s just have a lot of fun together. There’s nothing like—I don’t really believe in something like senior or junior. It’s just more experience and less experience. I mean, when you start playing cricket at the place like I started—of course, I still play whenever I get an opportunity—but you started at Maharashtra, so firstly, to know that Maharashtra is starting a women’s league, I was very happy and excited. And of course, whenever the opportunity comes to represent a team, as I said, I mean it’s always a new role, an exciting role, so of course, I was really excited and happy. And more importantly, I was very excited for the girls of Maharashtra—I mean, for them to get this platform and to express themselves. So yeah, really looking forward to that.”

Mandhana’s, special message for the league fans:

“I mean, it's the first edition, so I'm sure there will be a lot of new fans. We don’t know yet… But yeah, I mean, we’ve played in Pune during the T20 Challenge, and we got good support when we played here in the WT20 Challenge. So, I expect everyone to come out in huge numbers and support women’s cricket—support Ratnagiri Jets more, actually. But yeah, you know, I’ve played for Maharashtra throughout my career, so coming back and playing in Pune and playing in the WNPL, I’m really excited, and I hope people come, support us, and watch us.”

Mandhana speaks, as a senior, about how she will balance mentoring with giving youngsters the space to express themselves:

“I think this is the first time, but we did get a little experience when we played the first year of the WPL. We were playing a lot of international cricket, so we couldn't play much domestic cricket, and then suddenly we had a few uncapped players in the WPL, and it became important for us to have conversations with them. But I feel it’s been an amazing experience for us as well. It’s not just one-way. I mean, sometimes when you've played a lot of international cricket and then come back and see the energy of these girls, you sort of absorb that energy yourself. It works both ways we also learn a lot, and of course, they get to see and learn from us too. So, if we keep it that way both ways it becomes a balance, rather than just thinking that we always have to give a lot.”