The Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) have revolutionized the cricket industry. They have established themselves as two of the best venues for male and female cricketers from all over the world to demonstrate their abilities.
The possibility of making a lot of money if they are selected and perform well is one of the main draws for cricketers participating in these tournaments. IPL and WPL establishments take part in extraordinary offering battles to sign the top abilities of the cricket world.
The IPL’s unparalleled level of competition is another exciting aspect, and this year’s WPL also provided glimpses of the same. To prepare their teams and get the most out of the players they have, franchises frequently employ the best coaches in the world.
Because of the high level of competition and the abundance of rewards, IPL and WPL franchises are not afraid to think outside the box in order to succeed.
For instance, Rajasthan Royals, the champions of the Indian Premier League in 2008, utilized the “retired out” option for the first time in the league last year. The team was able to send in a big-hitter for the slog overs after Ravichandran Ashwin returned to the game.
As their coaching staff, cricket teams typically employ former cricketers or professional coaches. However, to assist the team throughout the season, a few IPL and WPL teams selected mentors who were not cricketers. They brought something else to the table and assisted the players with performing better in cricket.
The Indian Premier League and Women’s Premier League have both utilized non-cricket personalities as mentors in the following two instances:
#1 Sania Mirza – In WPL 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s mentor
Sania Mirza, a former Indian women’s tennis player, became a mentor for the Royal Challengers Bangalore prior to their debut season in the Women’s Premier League. On the tennis court, Mirza achieved tremendous success, winning multiple Grand Slams and establishing new standards for Indian women athletes.
Despite being down early, Sania went on to win a number of tennis matches throughout her career. It would appear that the Royal Challengers Bangalore have enlisted her to instill in the team the same attitude of “never give up.”
RCB have lost all five of their opening matches in the Women’s Premier League 2023, not the best start. To even have a chance of finishing in the top three, they will need to win all of their remaining chances, and Sania’s influence could be very important.
#2 Mike Horn – Mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2014 IPL
Mike Horn, a mountaineer and motivational speaker from South Africa, has previously collaborated with numerous cricket teams. During the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, when the Men in Blue won the tournament, he was a member of the Indian backroom staff.
Additionally, Horn collaborated with the German men’s football team during their 2014 FIFA World Cup victory. He joined the Kolkata Knight Riders as a coach in the same year and was a big part of the team winning their second Indian Premier League title.
In 2014, KKR had a disastrous campaign, winning only two of their first seven games. The Kolkata-based team appeared to finish in the bottom half of the points table.
However, the team led by Gautam Gambhir staged a remarkable comeback and won their subsequent seven league-stage games. After that, they won Qualifier 1 and won the championship by defeating the Chennai Super Kings in the final.