The legendary captain of the Delhi Capitals, Sourav Ganguly, previously captained India. He recently spoke exclusively to JioCinema during the WPL 2024 Auctions, discussing DC’s approach to auctions, Meg Lanning, and his assessment of the advancements made by Indian women’s cricket. Take a peek:
Regarding Annabel Sutherland’s bidding war
We’ve only heard positive things about her. That’s just how these little auctions always work. There are very few openings and one person who will always make a lot of money. I’m so happy for them all. The fact that we witnessed another Indian sell for a high price is positive for the game. The previous year’s competition was fantastic, and as I mentioned, things will only get better.
DC acquired information about young Indian players.
Given her ability to bowl and hit the ball far, I believe Ashwani Kumari was someone they were watching. We acquired an additional keeper since we required a backup. We realized that one position would always be the most crucial, so we filled Sutherland’s. We had three spots available.
About DC’s chances of winning the WPL this season
To say so is premature. Start the tournament, please. You never know how T20 cricket will turn out. Even the most skilled teams fall short at times. You can’t predict where a team will end before it starts, since it all comes down to form and momentum. But like I mentioned, we had a strong game last year but lost the championship. Hopefully, the form can be completed.
Meg Lanning‘s participation in the WPL campaign in Washington
In women’s cricket, she is a major player. She’s really important to us. She showed exceptional dedication last year. A few of the tales you learn about her, concerning her training, are very astounding. At the tender age of 32, she will soon enter a period of her profession where she will play, act, and make herself available to the franchise. In contemporary cricket, a great number of players are going that route. From what little I’ve seen, she seems like an excellent commander.
Regarding women’s cricket in relation to the WPL
This is a major competition, and I’m thrilled with how the inaugural year turned out. We’ve had this idea for a while, but COVID prevented it from happening. However, it had a remarkable effect on female cricket players. Possibly more than the men’s squad, women’s cricket in India has advanced since 2019. The men’s squad has always been exceptionally talented.
But from there, the women’s squad went on to win the Asia Cup, play in the World Cups, and then compete in the Commonwealth Games. They were the Commonwealth Games’ greatest team, hands down. It is remarkable to watch how far they have come—Harmanpreet, Smriti, Richa, Jemimah, Shafali, you name them. We wondered where Jhulan would come from after he stopped, and then we considered how Renuka Thakur had changed in the last three years. That makes women’s cricket the finest of all.
India
