The emergence of the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League marked a significant milestone in franchise cricket, particularly in Uttar Pradesh.
When the franchise was introduced in 2023, scepticism naturally loomed over its reception, considering the state’s relatively recent prominence in the cricketing landscape. With the Lucknow Super Giants making their IPL debut only a year prior, questions arose about the Warriorz’s ability to carve out their own niche in the competitive arena of franchise cricket.
Despite the initial uncertainties, the UP Warriorz swiftly garnered attention and support, even without a designated home ground in their inaugural season. The franchise found itself in the midst of franchise cricket giants like the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals, yet managed to attract a dedicated fanbase. Much of this success can be attributed to the relentless efforts of Jinisha Sharma, the head of Capri Sports, who assumed the dual role of managing the Warriorz while overseeing other franchise teams across various sports leagues.
As we delve deeper into Sharma’s experience navigating the challenges of establishing and running a WPL franchise, it becomes evident that her multifaceted expertise extends beyond cricket. From the Sharjah Warriors in the International League T20 to the Bengal Warriors in kabaddi and the Rajasthan Warriors in kho-kho, Sharma’s managerial prowess has left an indelible mark across the organisation’s sporting properties.
“The real uphill battle, initially, is when you’re figuring out what the brand is going to be about,” Sharma tells Hindustan Times.
“Figuring out right from the name, the look and feel of the brand, the internal team who’s going to manage everything. So, those were the initial things that we had to put together. But everything came together beautifully, right from the anthem to the branding. So, we are quite happy in terms of those things. The team management itself was a completely new space for me.”
While venturing into various sporting domains undoubtedly broadens one’s expertise, delving into women’s sports presents unique challenges. The anticipation surrounding the inception of a women’s franchise T20 league in Indian cricket was palpable, promising significant attention. Yet, the landscape remained uncharted territory, with the league’s success and reception still uncertain.
“Building a sports brand, especially women’s sports, which is still largely under-explored in India (was a challenge). But there were really exciting challenges. And I think we’ve educated ourselves in taking them on. We looked at the trajectory of IPL, which gave us some indication of what their numbers have been, how they’ve grown, and what activities they’ve undertaken to reach this level of growth, both commercially and on a brand level.
“Now, with women’s sports… we were positively surprised at the crowd that showed up and how well it did in terms of TV reach also. The number of searches went up, so we studied everything. If you ask any female cricketer, they would say that they’ve never played the amount of cricket that they’ve played this year (2023). After WPL got over, they went for the Bangladesh series and the domestic cricket had been super packed for them.
“So, we’re really excited also to see the kind of effect that is trickling down, not just for the Indian team, but also for the other age groups in domestic cricket. The exposure has increased. In terms of unpredictability, we’ve never done like a home and away still. So, that is going to be a unique challenge, especially for a team that’s going to be out of UP.”