'Indian players should have been captains in WPL': Ex-India captain Anjum Chopra

Anjum Chopra (Pic Courtesy: AP)

Former Indian captain Anjum Chopra on Wednesday expressed her disappointment about most foreign players being handed leadership roles in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL), adding that the franchises should have preferred Indians over overseas players.

The WPL kicks off with title favourites Mumbai Indians squaring off against Gujarat Giants for what promises to be an exhilarating derby of the West, at the DY Patil Sports Academy on Saturday.

"I didn't like that most of the teams have opted for foreign players as captains because it's an Indian league and will be played in Indian conditions, so Indian players should have been captains if they have capabilities," Chopra said in a virtual interaction.

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Out of five teams, only Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore opted for Indian players in leadership roles with Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana respectively, while other three franchises chose Australian players, Meg Lanning in Delhi, Beth Mooney in Gujarat, and Alyssa Healy in UP as captains.

"I thought Deepti Sharma should have been made the captain as she led in the last Women's T20 Challenge," Chopra added. However, having said that, she agreed that six-time T20 World Cup champions Australia boast of several experienced players in their ranks, as compared to India.

"Australian players are world champions and they have the experience of leading sides back home. I completely agree with their (Australian players) experience (at the international stage), and so Jemimah Rodrigues can't become a captain ahead of Meg Lanning in the same team (Delhi Capitals). If I look at the big picture, the Indian players don't have much captaincy potential like Australian players," she said.

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Besides, Chopra feels the performances of rookie domestic players will hold supreme importance as foreign players are already known entities. She explained, "The challenge is always going to be for Indian players because you are playing a franchise tournament at home. This is a professional sport, you are contracted for a certain amount. Everything is relatively new, the more the players play, the more they will learn to adapt to situations. I definitely feel that how the domestic players will fit in and start contributing will be key," she explained.

(With PTI inputs)