Mumbai, Apr 18 (PTI) Mumbai batter Humaira Kazi believes the inaugural season of the Women’s T20 Mumbai League will have a right mix of experience, with teams comprising players with international exposure as well as a talented bench of U-15 and U-17 levels.
The first edition of the three-team league is set to be held concurrently with the fourth season of the men’s tournament, slated to be organised after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League.
“I have recently seen the U-15 and U-17 teams, there is immense talent and it is just about the exposure and when they will play with the seniors, it will help them in improving their game,” Humaira told PTI in an exclusive interaction here on Saturday.
“It will make them understand how to perform in a packed stadium, help them nurture their cricket, help them grow as cricketers and that is something this league will give us.” Humaira, who has played for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League, said the MCA tournament will challenge the players from the city to work harder.
“If this league would not have been there, the women cricketers would just be playing club cricket or training at the Shivaji Park and do their own things,” she said.
“But with this league, it has given an opportunity to work harder, do well, get in this league and teams and then maybe they will get a chance to perform. These opportunities are really important for upcoming players at this stage.” “It is going to be a tough competition keeping in mind the cream of Mumbai and U-15. We have recently won the U-15 BCCI championship and that mix of players, the teams are going to be tough in front of packed stadiums,” Humaira added.
India and former UP Warriorz bowler Saima Thakor said the new generation of players look a lot different now and the T20 Mumbai League will help players prepare for next level of competition.
“The preparation begins here. Even if we talk about WPL, we got a World Cup in three seasons of the tournament,” Saima said.
“We get to interact with international players. Similarly, in this tournament the juniors will be free to interact with us and they will come to know about a lot such as strategy and analysis. Staying in the right mindset will be important and we are always there to guide them.” Saima said the next crop of talent is very different from the current batch of players.
“A lot of new talent is coming through. As senior players we are noticing a lot of difference in the next generation, which is much better, fitter and smarter so I think grooming them and sharing experiences with them will play a major role and it will make all the difference,” she said.
“We have a high performance camp with Mumbai cricket going on. There are special coaches for girls across age groups to interact with. You get to know about their mindset and the preparation has been amazing.” PTI TA DDV AH AH
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