The absence of Pakistani players from the maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) season has left former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz disappointed. The auction, which concluded on Monday, was a pivotal moment in the history of women’s cricket, with unexpected twists, heartwarming moments, excitement and the potential to make a positive impact on the sport and countless individuals associated with it.
Drama, excitement and fun! ,
We’ve got an opening full of action #WPLAuction Summarized for you _ _ pic.twitter.com/IWzBHnTwJA
– Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 15, 2023
The auction started with a bang, with star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana becoming the first player to be picked. Royal Challengers Bangalore shelled out a whopping amount of Rs 3.4 crore, making him the costliest player in the WPL. Moments later, their captain and batting star Harmanpreet Kaur was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.8 crore. International talent from other countries attracted a lot of attention at the auction. But one country will miss out on this opportunity: cricketers from Pakistan were never in the running to join the league because they were completely absent from the auction list.
Former Pakistan captain and commentator Urooj Mumtaz told ESPNcricinfo, “It is very unfortunate to see Pakistan players out.”
She said, “Every occasion should be fair and inclusive, and all occasions are steps towards collectively raising the level of the women’s game and growing the game globally. Most importantly, they are a step towards promoting cricket in the playing nations.” bridge the quality gap.”
Pakistan players were to compete in the men’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), which started on Monday. The inaugural women’s T20 league was originally scheduled to start during this season, but that idea was scrapped after the board’s leadership, Rameez Raja, was replaced by Najam Sethi in December. That league has now been postponed till September at the earliest.
After their clash against India in the Women’s T20 World Cup match, Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof was also asked about the WPL auction, and she said that Pakistan players would “love to play” in any league that gives them a chance.
“We as Pakistan know that we don’t get much opportunities to play in the league and that is very unfortunate. Of course, we would love to play and we would like to get every opportunity in the league. But yeah, it is what it is and We can’t control it,” said Maroof during the ICC press conference. The inaugural edition of WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 at two venues in Mumbai.
