'My game would never have grown this way' - Kapp on WPL's impact

When Marizanne Kapp speaks about the Women's Premier League, she does so less as a beneficiary of its rise and more as a witness to its consequences. From a player's perspective, the South Africa all-rounder believes the WPL has marked a decisive shift in women's cricket, one that has altered not just opportunity but expectation.

For Kapp, the impact of the WPL is already visible at the very top of the game. "People don't always understand how important these leagues are for women's cricket," she said during a select media roundtable ahead of the new season. "You saw now India won their first women's World Cup in a very long time. That already shows you what an impact it's had, not only on women's cricket, but on Indian cricket as well."

The league's influence, Kapp insists, cannot be measured purely through broadcast numbers or packed stadiums. Its true value lies in what it does to players, particularly those exposed to elite competition on a regular basis. Kapp counts herself among them. "On a personal level, my game would never have grown the way it has if it wasn't for these leagues," she said. "Even when you look at the youngsters coming through now, a lot of that is thanks to leagues like the WPL."

Having played across franchise tournaments globally, Kapp is well placed to explain what sets the WPL apart. The distinction, she feels, lies in how quickly the league has accelerated the growth of domestic players. According to Kapp, the shift has been driven by exposure as much as execution. For young players unaccustomed to international cricket, the initial step up can be daunting. The WPL, however, compresses that learning curve.

"If you look at the WPL, the first year was probably mainly your internationals and Indian international players performing," she observed. "But from years two and three, you could already see a much bigger impact from the domestic players. That's the beauty of these leagues. Once these youngsters start playing with international cricketers and realise they can perform against the best in the world, it gives them a completely different level of confidence. You're now seeing that reflected in match-winning performances from domestic players."

That confidence has flourished in environments like Delhi Capitals, where Kapp believes continuity and culture have been central to sustained success. Despite losing three finals, she rejects the idea that the team struggles under pressure. "Every single game you go into, there's pressure. I feel like we've done so well over the past three years. At some stages, it was just a bit of bad luck and us not having our best days in the finals."

The transition in leadership this season, with Jemimah Rodrigues taking over from Meg Lanning, is another example of the WPL's evolving landscape. Kapp did not downplay Lanning's absence. "Losing Meg as a captain is obviously a big thing. She's a very successful captain, not only for DC but in world cricket in general."

But she was equally clear about Rodrigues' credentials. Surrounded by senior players and backed by a stable management group, Kapp believes the new DC skipper is well supported. "I actually said a couple of years ago that Jemimah should be India's next captain. She's always been a leader. Her personality, the way she brings people together, the caring factor, that all matters," she said. "Even experienced captains face challenges. Jemimah has a lot of senior players around her, and I think she'll take this opportunity with both hands."

For Kapp, the WPL's greatest contribution lies in its ability to normalise high-performance environments for women cricketers. The league has compressed years of learning into a few intense weeks, reshaping careers and ambitions in the process. "The more you play T20 cricket, the more you learn about yourself," she said. "Every league, every wicket teaches you something new."

From a skills perspective, Kapp feels her time in the WPL has shaped her evolution, particularly as a batter. "Probably the aggressive nature within my batting," she explained. "Because of my role and where I come in, I don't always get much time to bat, so you almost have to make every ball count. The way my entry point within games has changed has allowed me to come in and be a bit more aggressive, and that's definitely an area where I feel I've improved and where the WPL has been so special to me."

That blend of exposure, pressure and accelerated learning is, in Kapp's view, where the WPL's lasting value lies. "With T20 cricket, even me at 36 years of age, I'm still learning a lot about myself," she said, underlining how the league continues to challenge and refine players at every stage of their careers.