Meg Lanning is eager to lead Delhi Capitals in WPL, reveals coach Jonathan Batty

Capitals finished the season as runner-up and Batty feels with more or less a settled squad, they are looking to go one step ahead in the second season. “We played brilliant cricket throughout the tournament but we fell short in the final. We would want to go all the way in the second season,” he said.

Delhi Capitals have released three players— Jasia Akhtar and Aparna Mondal—along with USA fast bowler Tara Norris, who took the first fifer in the WPL. They have a purse of Rs 2.25 crore for the auction.

“During the off-seasons, we have had a couple of training camps, where our local domestic players, who were not playing international cricket attended those camps. We also brought some of the best local talents from India. We have set the benchmark for all the domestic players, just to see where they are as part of our scouting process,” he said.

“We have a good core group, the plan is to make the squad more dangerous. Our conversations have been around that only,” he added.

More accessible

Batty, who is the head of cricket and a geography teacher at Caterham School in Surrey, feels the massive gulf between men’s and women’s cricket can only be reduced by making the latter games more accessible.

“Just make it accessible to the people. This is how it has worked in the UK. Televise it on the mainstream TV. People will show interest and will come to (watch) the games. You have to get the crowd in the stadium to reduce the gulf between men’s and women’s cricket,” he said.