Punam Raut agrees with Mithali Raj on the topic of Women's IPL

The India Women’s team received a warm welcome in Mumbai, on their arrival back in India. Among the squad was Mumbai girl Punam Raut, who had performed exceptionally well in the Women’s World Cup, 2017 that had been held in England. Raut spoke about the necessity of initiating a women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and how life after the World Cup has changed for her.

The flamboyant opening batter has already amassed 1567 runs in 53 ODIs at the young age of 27 years. She played some crucial knocks throughout the World Cup, including the innings of 106 runs against Australia Women’s team and the innings of 86 runs in the final game of the tournament against the English team. Although India couldn’t lift the trophy, Raut sparkled on the back of her stellar run and finished the championship with 381 runs in nine matches at an average of 42.33, including one century and two 50s.

Necessity of Women’s IPL

She spoke at length about the necessary steps that should be taken to improve the future of Women’s cricket in the nation. Echoing her skipper, Mithali Raj‘s view on the matter, Raut said, “Yes, I agree with Mithali. IPL is a must for women’s cricket. This will help the next generation to take up cricket as a career. Youngsters will get an opportunity to play and share the dressing room with international stars. This will help them gain experience and it will improve the standard of women’s cricket in India.”

Talking about the changes in her life

The adulation that the entire women’s team has received after the World Cup has been immense. Talking about how that has changed her life, Raut said, “Life has changed a lot after the World Cup. There are always people around to congratulate you. It’s become difficult to make time for myself now. But, it feels great to see the love people are showering on us.”