Former India captain Anjum Chopra is not happy with the fact that most franchises have gone for foreign captains for their teams instead of viable Indian options in the leadership roles in the inaugural WPL. Only Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have gone ahead with Indian captains — Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana respectively.
The inaugural edition of the tournament kicks off on Saturday, March 4, when the Gujarat Giants (GG) take on the MI in the opening fixture at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai.
Opening up on three of the five teams having Australian players as their skippers, Anjum said, "I didn't like that most of the teams have opted for foreign players as captains because it's an Indian league and will be played in Indian conditions, so Indian players should have been captains if they have capabilities."
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The other teams are skippered by Australian players — Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants) and Alyssa Healy (UP Warriorz). However, Anjum feels that Deepti Sharma would have been a better option for the UP Warriors, given her experience in leading a team in the Women's T20 Challenge
"I thought Deepti Sharma should have been made the captain as she led in the last Women's T20 Challenge," Chopra said in a virtual interaction.
"I completely agree with their (Australian players) experience (at the international stage), and so Jemimah Rodrigues can't become a captain ahead of Meg Lanning in the same team (Delhi Capitals). If I look at the big picture, the Indian players don't have much captaincy potential like Australian players," she added.
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That said, the 45-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the WPL will be great for the rookie domestic players and the experience of the foreign players will be key. "It's been a long journey but to see finally that the league is happening was a nice and different feeling. It's not about beating Australia, it's about first becoming better as an individual, then only we can come together in a team environment.
"Australia, England, and New Zealand are teams which have been challenging Indian cricket for years, so a tournament like this will definitely help," she added.
