Women’s cricket in Delhi growing strength to strength: DDCA prez

NEW DELHI: The third season of the Women's Delhi Premier League (DPL) is due to commence on Thursday.

Key points

• The most significant thing is that we are creating more opportunities for women cricketers to play competitive cricket and prove themselves.
• The expansion we are seeing in women's cricket is a result of creating the right platforms at the right stages.

What happened

NEW DELHI: The third season of the Women's Delhi Premier League (DPL) is due to commence on Thursday. What began with a relatively small pool of players has evolved into a much broader ecosystem, with increasing participation, a deeper talent pool and stronger performances throughout age groups. When the Women's DPL was introduced, around 80 players registered for the auction, with 78 players required to fill the four squads. Three seasons afterwards, Delhi's domestic women's cricket structure now featuring 48 club teams and a database of more than 700 players. "The most encouraging aspect for us is that the expansion of women's cricket in Delhi is not limited to numbers. When we began the Women's DPL, we wanted to create a platform where players could secure regular competitive cricket and an opportunity to showcase themselves. Today, we are seeing a much larger pool of players coming through the system, and that tells us that the pathway is working, " Rohan Jaitley, President, Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), remarked. The body additionally organises the DDCA Women's League, where players secure an opportunity to perform and showcase their talent. Based on their performances, promising players are shortlisted for the DPL auction, giving them an opportunity to be picked by teams and take the next step in their cricketing journey.

"The most significant thing is that we are creating more opportunities for women cricketers to play competitive cricket and prove themselves. The journey from the DDCA Women's League to the DPL is giving players a clear pathway, and we are seeing more and more talented players come through that system, " Shikha Kumar, Vice President of DDCA, remarked. The expansion has additionally been reflected in the latest DPL auction. It saw a significantly larger pool of players putting their names forward, highlighting the increasing interest among women cricketers to compete at a higher level and employ the league as a pathway to progress. The impact of the growing ecosystem is additionally being seen in performances on the field. While the state's younger players have additionally continued to produce their presence felt, with Delhi finishing runners-up in the 2023-24 Women's Under-23 T20 Trophy, delhi's senior women lately concluded a 14-year wait for silverware by winning the 2025-26 Senior Women's One-Day Trophy. "For us, this is the most significant measure of progress. It is one thing to see more players registering and more teams participating, but the real success is when that rose participation starts to translate into quality and performance. Delhi winning the Senior Women's One-Day Trophy after 14 years was a particularly special moment, and the performances of our younger teams additionally show that there is considerable talent coming through, " Jaitley continued.

While additionally allowing emerging cricketers to perform alongside and against established names, the Women's DPL has played an significant role in providing players with exposure to a competitive franchise environment. "The expansion we are seeing in women's cricket is a result of creating the right platforms at the right stages. While the DPL gives them a bigger platform to showcase their ability, the DDCA Women's League gives players the opportunity to perform. Our focus is to keep strengthening this pathway so that more players can progress and represent Delhi at the highest level, " Ashok Sharma, Secretary, DDCA, remarked. Jaitley believes the progress created so far is only the beginning of a much larger journey for women's cricket in the capital. "We have seen the numbers grow, we have seen the quality improve and, most importantly, we have began seeing the results. The objective is to continue expanding the ecosystem, provide more women cricketers with meaningful opportunities, and create an environment where the next generation of Delhi players can aspire to play at the highest level, " he explained.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around women's cricket in Delhi growing strength to strength: DDCA prez point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.