Women’s ODI WC: The WPL Effect On Shaping India’s Squad For The Marquee Event

Women’s ODI WC: The WPL effect on shaping India’s squad for the marquee event (Image Source: IANS)

ODI World Cup: When India take the field for their 2025 Women's ODI World Cup opener against Sri Lanka at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, it will do so as a squad powered by a phenomenon that didn't exist in the last edition of this marquee event: the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Charani and Kranti’s World Cup call-ups mark a post-WPL shift in selection boldness from India as well. With just respective single-digit appearances in ODIs so far, their standout 2025 WPL performances propelled them to get into the national set-up much earlier, something which wasn’t a possibility in the pre-WPL era.

Charani's breakthrough came during India’s twin series win in England, with her control, fearlessness, and composure under pressure being hallmarks of a player who had learned to thrive in high-stakes environments.

Goud's ascent was equally swift too - her WPL 2025 performances were sufficient for the selectors to recognise her ability to rattle batters with raw pace. After a quick debut in the tri-series final after Kashvee Gautam was injured, Kranti seized her opportunity in the ODI series in England by producing a match-winning six-fer in the decider at Chester-le-Street.

“I think the fact is that you've seen more players who can walk into an Indian setup. I think the very fact that Charani walked into a playing eleven straightaway, and she made an impression.”

“Prior to that, we saw whether it was Kranti Goud later or earlier players who walked in straightaway from a WPL. People who could capitalise on that opportunity were another thing. People who could get that exposure at the international level were the other valuable thing,” said Anjum Chopra, former India captain, to IANS before the World Cup.

The WPL's influence extends well beyond selections of Charani and Goud. Seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur orchestrated her international comeback through stellar performances for 2025 champions Mumbai Indians, headlined by a match-winning effort against Royal Challengers Bengaluru – picking 3- 22 and smashing an unbeaten 34 off 27 balls.

With Pooja Vastrakar's long-term shoulder injury ruling her out of the World Cup, India turned to Amanjot as a second seamer in their spin-heavy attack. Though a back injury during the England ODIs prompted cautious management, and he was even rested from the series against Australia and the warm-up matches, expect Amanjot to play a pivotal role in the big games.

Similarly, Arundhati Reddy earned her World Cup berth despite just nine ODI caps, purely on the strength of her WPL displays. Under Meg Lanning’s leadership, she has evolved into a reliable swing bowler whose lower-order hitting provides crucial batting depth. Former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar, who saw Kranti from the close quarters as a mentor during UP Warriorz' campaign in WPL 2025, highlighted how the WPL has democratized opportunity in ways domestic cricket alone couldn't achieve.

“It's thrust players into the limelight that maybe wouldn't have been seen. Yes, they would have gone about domestic cricket. But in domestic cricket, not all teams get to play each other; they play in their kind of groups, and then qualify for the knockout stages.”

“So some talent may be missed that way, whereas here all of a sudden the WPL, because it's only five teams, if you firstly get into a squad, it's an amazing effort for that player. Then if they get the opportunity to showcase their skills, they're coming up against the best players in the world.”

“If they're able to hold their nerve, and then all of a sudden lights, camera, action, and they can keep coming under pressure with all of those pressures, then why not the Indian selectors select those players?” she said to IANS.

The WPL hasn't just accelerated fresh talent for India - it's also provided a redemption arc for Sneh, who came in as a replacement for injured Shreyanka Patil and did well for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

“So it's great to see a number of those players get an opportunity to represent their country off the back of success in WPL. Then on the flip side, someone like Sneh Rana, fighting her way back into the Indian side, purely down to her performances and what she was able to do in domestic cricket, but also WPL as well,” said Lisa.

Perhaps the WPL's most profound impact is that Indian cricketers are now recognising that there are multiple routes to making it to the national team and even ending up in a squad for the World Cup. “But the very fact that WPL as a home product has given a lot of players a hope that if you succeed there, it's of great importance. If you succeed there, it is financially rewarding, recognition, a straight and fast passage into the Indian team, or fast-tracked into the India A squad.”

“There is everything to play for and everything to prepare for a player. Now, a player knows that you just don't have to go through the domestic cricket grind and then get into the pathway towards an Indian team. You can straight away make an impression in the WPL.”

‘Mind you, it's not easy. Having that pressure around you with all the international players in the same changing room. You get into an environment where the crowd is expecting you to do well, and so, it's not easy. So, as a young cricketer who walks into a franchise team and does well, you have to applaud that effort.”

“For the simple effort that the cricketer has put in to go on that stage of a WPL and deliver consistently. It's not about just one or two matches. It's to deliver consistently. So, I feel it's nice to have Charani, and it's been great,” she said.

As India embarks on their World Cup campaign, the WPL's influence represents more than just personnel changes. It signals a fundamental change in how the team is constructed - prioritising match-winners who have proven themselves in pressure-cooker atmospheres of the elite competitions.

“For the simple effort that the cricketer has put in to go on that stage of a WPL and deliver consistently. It's not about just one or two matches. It's to deliver consistently. So, I feel it's nice to have Charani, and it's been great,” she said.

Whether the WPL effect brings India their elusive World Cup or not, this squad - shaped by the tournament’s fast-track intensity - is unlike anything before. For Charani, Kranti, Amanjot, and Arundhati, it’s proof that a new pathway works where talent meets opportunity at speed, including a chance to play in a home World Cup.

Article Source: IANS