Shikha Pandey optimistic about the possibility of a full-fledged Women's IPL

Shikha Pandey, India pacer, feels a full-fledged Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) could be a reality in two years, but her immediate priority is to keep herself mentally and physically fit when the team returns to back the field.

“As a cricketer, if you ask me, having the high-intensity games and being able to play them would be a big plus for us, at the international level, you get to play high-intensity games, to have world-class cricketers playing alongside you, you get to learn so much from them in terms of their experience,” Pandey told ANI. “With IPL matches happening and them being televised, a lot of young girls would be able to watch it on television, it would be a huge thing as being a 90s kid I did not get the chance to watch televised women’s matches much.”

“It would inspire the younger lot to take up cricket. We have got a huge talent pool within our domestic cricket, I would say Women’s IPL should happen and I am very sure in another year or two, we will see a very well organised Women’s IPL.”

“After the 2017 World Cup, there was a surge in a number of girls who actually wanted to take up cricket professionally in India, they have been coming to to the academies in order to become next Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. The games after the 2017 World Cup have been televised no matter where we have played.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced on February 29 that a four-team Women’s T20 Challenge tournament will be played in Jaipur during the IPL play-offs, but the tournament was postponed along with the IPL in light of the restrictions imposed by the government owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

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The 2019 edition of the tournament was deemed a success with the three teams involved – Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity – playing some fantastic cricket in front of a houseful audience in Jaipur.

“We have played Women’s T20 Challenge in 2018 and 2019, the kind of reception we got from the people that came to watch those matches was amazing, the stadium was jam packed, any international series we play in India, we have always received great support from the crowd,” added the pacer who made her debut in 2014.

31-year-old Pandey said she found it difficult to adjust to the restrictions of the lockdown at the start, but things fell into place once she got back to her routine training. “The initial few days were a bit difficult, but then once I started following my routine, I had a timetable for myself, I have been working out twice a day, the trainer has been really helpful as he has been sending the programmes,” she said.

“I have been staying in isolation at Goa Cricket Indoor facility, I have spent a lot of time with my family, it is a privilege to be at home for this long.”

India last played an international match when they faced Australia in the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. India were scheduled to travel to England for a proposed tri-series, but Clare Connor, on July 20, informed Women’s CricZone that India would not be able to travel to England due to the COVID-19 related travel restrictions in the country.

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“It was amazing to see so many people come down at the MCG to watch the finals of the T20 World Cup, it is once in a lifetime opportunity to play at the MCG to play in a front of so many people on Women’s Day with greats like Katy Perry and Billie Jean King. It was a spectacle, we lost the match, yes, but we were very lucky to play in front of so many people,” said the pace-bowling allrounder.

Pandey, who has represented India in 104 internationals across formats, feels getting back to peak fitness could be the biggest challenge they would face as a team and she is looking forward to the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand to be played on schedule.

“I cannot really assess the time I will require to get back into shape, I have been doing my conditioning sessions and I have kept them as a top priority, I have been doing everything to be in the best shape possible. I am hopeful that we have the 2021 World Cup next year on time,” she said.

“I am really looking forward to it, when we get back to the field, we will make sure that we are at peak of our fitness, we will make sure that we are mentally and physically fit.”

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Pandey was recently in the news when she took to twitter to talk the about the proposed innovations in women’s cricket. “I personally feel most of the suggestions to be superfluous,” she tweeted.

“I have been hearing suggestions to make women’s cricket more appealing for a while now, there was a lot being said about the changes that were needed to be made in order to make women’s cricket more attractive, it was something I wanted to express, what I wrote in my Twitter thread was what I really felt,” Pandey explained why she felt the need to talk about it.

“There were many people who agreed with it, but I was happy that people who did not agree with my opinion also came out and talked about it. I was very happy with the very fact that people were coming out suggesting changes, it means they are thinking about women’s cricket and how it can grow.”

Pandey, who was part of the Indian sides in the finals of 2017 World Cup and 2020 T20 World Cup, believes the defeats have taught her a few things about the need to think clearly in high-pressure scenarios.

“Everyone’s mental setup is different, I have learnt a lot of things from the two finals that I played in, I always believe that you learn a lot more from defeats than from the success you have, holding your nerve in high-pressure situations is something I have learnt, to be able to think clearly is another thing I have learnt,” she concluded.

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