Mom & sister fight with me to watch WPL over men's match: Arshdeep Singh on growing popularity of women's game

Bengaluru: "My mother and sister pick up a fight with me when there is a men's match and WPL being played at the same time," Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh said, throwing homely insights into the growing popularity of the women's league.

He further said: "No offence to the female audience, but people are now watching the WPL instead of serials. That's a great thing because there's been a lot of growth in the women's game and people come to watch matches live. It's a great step."

He replied to a query by UNI in an interaction with journalists here. Arshdeep's comments came ahead of thea Eliminator and the Final matches to be held in Mumbai later this week.

The Mumbai Indians (MI), the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the UP Warriorz (UPW) are the three teams to have qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament.

The WPL has already captured the imagination of cricket fans all over the country.

Asked whether his County stint with Kent would increase his workload as a fast bowler while playing all formats, Arshdeep said it would only help him develop his skills with red ball too.

"There's not much pressure. I want the opportunity to test out my game in new conditions with a new team. I have played a lot of white-ball cricket lately and want to develop my skills with the red ball too. I will learn a lot and understand my game better, and my results in general will improve. I want to play all formats at all levels and do my best for all the teams I play for," he said.

Though an inexperienced bowler, Arshdeep has scalped 25 wickets in seven white-ball matches to date with an average of 23.84.

Looking ahead, Arshdeep will be seen in action during the 2023 edition of the IPL. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer has returned 28 wickets over the last two seasons and had a superb economy rate of 7.7 last year. (UNI)