Mithali Raj, a former India captain and a legend of women’s cricket, has been hired as a coach and adviser for the Ahmedabad-based Gujarat Giants ahead of the first season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The former player was the national team’s face of women’s cricket and will now promote the sport at the grassroots level for the Adani Sportsline-owned franchise. Mithali acknowledged taking up the new post as she is intent on helping ‘strengthen the athletic environment’.
“Women’s cricket is slowly developing, and this type of encouragement will surely inspire young women to consider pursuing a career in cricket. I think that high-impact business engagement will speed the process of bringing greater glory to India. This sort of influence may serve to develop the athletic environment and provide chances for female athletes,” Mithali said.
Adani Sportsline, the Adani Company’s sports development division, was given the green light to purchase a team after the group paid INR 1289 crore to acquire an Ahmedabad-based franchise. Pranav Adani, director of Adani Enterprises, was overjoyed to have Mithali on board and said that having the likes of the India great on board will assist recognise potential across multiple sports.
“Mithali Raj is a role model for today’s youth, and we are thrilled to have such an inspiring athlete on board to coach our women’s cricket team. We feel that the presence of international sporting icons such as Mithali would draw fresh talent not just to cricket but to other sports,” said Pranav Adani.
Following the end of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, the much-anticipated WPL’s maiden season is expected to take place between March 4 and March 24.
