WPL 2023: Australia legend Ellyse Perry calls India 'the spiritual home of cricket'

Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has called India the spiritual home of cricket, just days after being sold at the auction of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL). Perry was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a whopping sum of Rs. 1.7 crore, eighth highest in terms of money spent. Perry is currently represrnting Australia at the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa. 

In a press conference on Thursday, Perry was asked about the feeling in the camp when the WPL auction was taking place in India. Perry said the conversation among players was never about the money but it always revolved around what the WPL can do for the women's game. She said the strong presence that the women's game is starting to have in the Indian market is much more important than any kind of dollar value. 

"From my perspective, I don't think any of us ever led the conversation in terms of monetary value. I think there's something at play that's much bigger than that. Of course, remuneration and the chance to earn that kind of money is wonderful, but much larger than that, I think is just the general growth of the sport right around the world," Perry said in the press conference at T20 World Cup. 

"India is kind of, I guess, the spiritual home of cricket in a lot of senses. And I think now that women are starting to have a really strong presence in the Indian market and also in the Indian game, that is so much more important than any kind of dollar value that is placed on any player. So from that perspective, the chat was just around wanting to be involved," she added. 

"Of course, after the auction, those discussions come in about certain value and how much people are sold for, which in itself is a weird kind of concept to swallow. But yeah, I just think it's so much bigger than that. The discussion from us as a group was just what it's going to do for the game, not so much what it's going to do for an individual," Perry concluded. 

Australian cricketers sold at WPL 2023 auction

1. Ashleigh Gardner - INR 3.2 crore (Gujarat Giants)
2. Beth Mooney - INR 2 crore (Gujarat Giants)
3. Ellyse Perry - INR 1.7 crore (RCB)
4. Tahlia McGrath - INR 1.4 crore (UP Warriorz)
5. Meg Lanning - INR 1.1 crore (Delhi Capitals)
6. Grace Harris - INR 75 lakh (UP Warriorz)
7. Georgia Wareham - INR 75 lakh (Gujarat Giants)
8. Alyssa Healy - INR 70 lakh (UP Warriorz)
9. Annabel Sutherland - INR 70 lakh (Gujarat Giants)
10. Jess Jonassen - IND 50 lakh (Delhi Capitals)
11. Laura Harris - INR 45 lakh (Delhi Capitals)
12. Megan Schutt - IND 40 lakh (RCB)
13. Erin Burns - INR 30 lakh (RCB)
14. Heather Graham - INR 30 lakh (Mumbai Indians)

Image: AP