Full-fledged women’s IPL will take the game to new dimension, says Sophie Devine

“Domestic T20 leagues have been a big success in the women’s game,” Devine was quoted as saying to Sportstar. “The standard of the women’s game has improved dramatically over the last four to five years and I think a lot of that comes down to players getting experience playing in different teams, different formats and different environments.”

“I've been extremely fortunate to be involved in the T20 Challenge (she played for Supernovas) for the last couple of years. Knowing the huge positive impact the men’s IPL has had on world cricket, I think a full-fledged women’s IPL would certainly take the game to another level. The ability to play with domestic players and other internationals is a great experience for everyone involved and I truly believe it will improve the standard of the women’s game not only in India but around the world,” said Devine, who had played hockey for the country as well.

The 30-year-old, who bagged the New Zealand Cricket women’s T20 Player of the Year award, had been having a brilliant run until the enforced break. She was the highest scorer for New Zealand with 132 runs from four games in the T20 World Cup this year and also at her best in the last edition of WBBL. Playing for Adelaide Strikers, the hard-hitting allrounder bludgeoned 769 runs at a strike-rate of 130.33 which included 29 maximums.

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Devine maintained her swashbuckling form at her domestic side Wellington Blaze as well, scoring more sixes than any other batswoman in the last edition of Super Smash. She is really excited to play in the ‘The Hundred’ which has been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Hundred is a really exciting format that I can’t wait to play. The different tactics and strategies that will need to be used may influence the way we play other formats of the game which, again, I think will be a great thing,” she said.

New Zealand lifted all social and economic restrictions except border controls last week after declaring it had no active Coronavirus cases. Asked about how she is keeping herself motivated during the lockdown, Devine stated that the unexpected break has given her the opportunity to work on her strength and conditioning.

“It certainly has been an experience none of us were truly prepared for and provided me with a great opportunity to have an extended period of time working on the strength and conditioning side of my game. Going from season to season, I don’t often get the opportunity for much of a pre-season, so I have certainly enjoyed the chance to get back to basics,” she said.

With the 50-overs World Cup just a few months away to be held in New Zealand, Devine believes they can hold on the momentum from the T20 World Cup earlier this year. “With COVID-19, everyone is feeling the pinch, financially. New Zealand Cricket has made some strong investment in the women’s game in recent times and hopefully, that can continue. I also hope we can build on the momentum that was created from the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia where over 85,000 people attended the final at the MCG,” she concluded.