Hopefully, this is first step towards women’s IPL: Australia captain Meg Lanning

Australia captain Meg Lanning talks to Rutvick Mehta about impact of Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, and how IPL can benefit women’s cricket in India the same way

Excited about being part of a first of its kind women’s cricket game in India?

It’s a really exciting opportunity, and I’m looking forward to being involved in it. I think it’s a great step forward for the women’s game, and hopefully it’s a great game and a great spectacle, and that it’s just the start.

You have the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) back home in Australia. How much impact has that made to women’s cricket in Australia, especially the young girls aspiring to be cricketers?

I think it just gives a clear pathway to start the game and then follow your heroes and go through those footsteps. It’s a really important part of cricket in Australia, and I’ve got no doubt that if an IPL-like tournament is to start here, then the same thing would happen. It’s just a great thing that the women’s game is changing all the time. There are so many more opportunities to play in leagues around the world.

So yes, it is an exciting time to be part of women’s cricket, and hopefully we can see that expanding even more over the next few years.

But are you confident that the impact you’re talking about in Australia can translate in India as well, if and when an IPL-like tournament takes place?

Definitely. It sort of starts off somewhere, and then it changes and evolves and then it gets better. We’ve had three editions of WBBL now back home in Australia, and each has been better than the previous one. So, hopefully this is the first step towards women’s IPL, and that a proper, full-fledged women’s IPL isn’t far off.

Do you believe a T20 club competition is the best way of popularising women’s cricket globally?

I think so. If you put together the best players in the world, you’re going to have a really good product. We’ve been able to do that in Australia, and we’ve got some really good international players for this game here as well. So, that just shows the appetite of players to play in such a league. Hopefully, it’s a really good spectacle and people do come out and watch.

You’ve played 74 T20Is, and scored plenty of runs. How can women cricketers make the format most entertaining for fans?

Look, I think players have started finding the boundaries a lot more now. That’s something I used to do a fair bit, but you’ll find more players doing that a lot more now. We’ve starting hitting 360-degree shots around the ground, which I think changes the dynamics a lot. We’ve only had four fielders outside the circle, which makes a massive difference as well. So yes, we’re all fitter, stronger and are able to clear the ropes a lot more than before. And everyone can see that in the recent matches that we’ve played.

Finally, you’ll be playing alongside the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj, among others. How different an experience would that be?

It’s amazing. We’ve enjoyed meeting the other players and being on the same side instead of against them all the time. I’m looking forward to playing alongside Mithali Raj, who’s a great ambassador of the game, and Harmanpreet Kaur, who has demolished us a few times (laughs). So, it will be nice to watch her from the other end instead.