Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) will continue to promote women’s sports as it has decided to widen the audience base with the telecast of Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

For the first time, viewers in India will get to watch eight Indian cricketers participating in the premier of the women’s cricket league, an official statement from Sony Pictures Networks India said.

Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, and Richa Ghosh, who have also represented India in the recently concluded India tour of England and India tour of Australia series, will be playing in the WBBL.

The highly-anticipated tournament will begin on October 14, 2021, and will be telecast live on Sony Six channels as well as live-streamed on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

The 2021 edition of WBBL has already got Indian fans talking as eight Indian women cricketers who have also represented Indian will be seen taking the field.

Indian women’s team short-format captain Harmanpreet Kaur recently advocated that India should start a women’s IPL as it would help throw up newer talents and also help nurture existing ones when they played against and with other international stars.

According to Kaur, tournaments like WBBL has helped the Aussie players get accustomed to high-pressure games and that’s why a women’s IPL would be so important for women’s cricket in India.

Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma will be seen establishing their dominance in the Defending Champions Sydney Thunder, while Shafali Varma and Radha Yadav will play for Sydney Sixers. Poonam Yadav will join Brisbane Heat while Richa Ghosh will be seen in Hobart Hurricanes. India’s T20 captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, along with Jemimah Rodrigues will take to the pitch for Melbourne Renegades.

Earlier, Mandhana, Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy have played in the Women’s Big Bash League with Smriti’s team, Brisbane Heat, reaching the semifinals during the 2016-17 edition of the tournament.

Over the past few years, these women cricketers have become household names due to their outstanding performances, and it will be exciting for all the cricket fans to watch their favorites prove their mettle in international tournaments as well, the Sony statement said.

Women’s Big Bash League is among the top watched sporting leagues of Australia. The league, which comprises eight teams— Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder, Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers — features top Australian players along with select international players. Five out of the eight teams of Women’s Big Bash League will feature Indian female cricketers.