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Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has praised the significant shift in perception towards women's sports in India, highlighting the remarkable progress made over the past 6-7 years.
Speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, Kohli emphasised the crucial role women athletes have played in driving this change while acknowledging that the initial spark has led to increased commercial interest, better funding, and eventually, the launch of the WPL, which has become the second-biggest cricket event in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL). "They were their own catalysts and kind of put the attention onto them. I literally saw it happening in a time span of 6-7 years. The way they started playing, you could see that belief, and then people started engaging in that a lot. And eventually it got to a place where, you know, the commercials became better, money was being infused into the women's game, and then you have the WPL," Virat Kohli said at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, powered by Leaders. WPL has become the second-biggest cricket event in India after the Indian Premier League. WPL started in 2023. Mumbai Indians won the inaugural season, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won the second season. The final of WPL is set to take place on Saturday, March 15, where Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Kohli also stressed the importance of a collective approach to promoting sports culture, emphasizing that women's sports are an integral part of this ecosystem. "Looking at men to improve sport in any country, it has to be a collective. Sports culture includes everyone, and women's sports is a massive part of it. We have so much data in women's sports, not just cricket but all the others," said Kohli. The Indian cricket legend acknowledged the progress made in women's sports, citing examples from tennis, badminton, wrestling, and boxing. However, he emphasized the need for continued support and infrastructure development to sustain this momentum. "We are creating individual activities over the year in tennis, badminton, wrestling, and boxing. So, I think it's definitely heading in the right direction, and it needs more backing and more and more infrastructure to be developed," Virat Kohli shared. (ANI)
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