WPL set to ignite, redefine cricket: Jayesh

In this in-depth interview, Jayesh George, the newly appointed Chairman of the Women's Premier League (WPL), discusses his ambitious vision for the league and the phenomenal growth of women's cricket in India. In response to a question about the controversy surrounding the omission of Sanju Samson from the Kerala cricket team, Jayesh George clarifies the star player's recent status in the Indian team setup. George takes credit for the decision to bring Samson back to domestic cricket. He explains that when players "make mistakes," the administration's duty is to correct them. George asserts that Samson "got things rectified" by returning to and playing domestic cricket, which is why he is now in the squad and attending a camp.

Jayesh George | Darshana Sugathan

The Women’s Premier League has entered an exciting new chapter with the appointment of Jayesh George as its new Chairperson. A seasoned cricket administrator and visionary leader, George brings with him years of experience in sports management and a reputation for strengthening grassroots structures.

In this conversation with Metro Vaartha, Jayesh George shares his vision for the league, the challenges ahead, and how he hopes to create opportunities that inspire the next generation of women cricketers in India and beyond.

Do you think WPL would have been a realistic goal 10 years ago?

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാം

I don’t think so. Women cricket has recently been on the rise. After Sharad Pawar took over, women cricket came under BCCI. Initially it was under another organization. Then when Jay Shah took over as secretary in 2022, he fought for man-woman equality. He ensured that women got the same pay as men in cricket. In fact, he is doing a lot of things for women in cricket. Men’s cricket has so many heroes, right from Kapil Dev to Tendulkar, but women cricket doesn’t have many. We had only Mithali Raj and she is one of the main reasons why people started watching women’s cricket. Later, many like Harmanpreet Kaur, Sajna, Minnu Mani came up. Now it is a fact that women’s cricket has very good viewership.

Cricket is pure passion for you. It is where your heart lies? How did it all start?

I have always been part of cricket and cricket has always been part of me. I used to play cricket as a child. I used to play for Tripunithura as a wicket keeper batsman. Then later I moved to management.

Why Sanju Samson Was Dropped, Then Selected

What is your third love - after your wife and cricket?

I love long drives and wildlife. I go cruising in my Audi in my estate in Munnar.

Why do you think women's cricket took a while to catch up?

Every sport needs a hero. When women’s cricket got heroes, its popularity rose. We had a full stadium for the Pune match in WPL. In Kerala, many women have started pursuing cricket as a serious career. India, Australia and New Zealand are the top 3 teams in women’s cricket now.

What will be your first goal as chairperson of WPL?

The main thing is I have to do good research to begin with. Then start the auctions. WPL was under IPL until now. But henceforth I will be leading it. I need to discuss with my office-bearers and come up with a plan. Need to discuss retention policies and others. We have the Men's World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup has started today. So, I need to finalize the windows of our games so as not to collide with any of the above. Lots of work to do. I will be working with BCCI and they have a good marketing team.

As the Women’s World Cup has started today, what do you think of our team? Any players that you are looking forward to?

India is a strong side. Playing in their homeland will give them the advantage. There are so many good players like Smriti, Harmanpreet. So far, we haven't won the Cup, I think we have a good chance this time. Fingers crossed.

Will you be focusing more on the talent pool in Kerala?

For WPL, we can bring 4 players from outside India as well. KCA had conducted a good Kerala Cricket League for men twice. So next year, we are planning a KCL for women as well. My new position as chairperson will add value to this. So, it will be a WPL for our players from Kerala.

Do you have any comment on the Indian team not accepting the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan officials in the finals?

No comments.

What is your thought on Sanju Samson returning to domestic cricket?

I did that right in getting him back. He returned and played domestic cricket. When our boys make mistakes, we correct them. That is our duty and responsibility. He got things rectified. Now he is in the squad and playing good cricket. He is attending a camp now. Last time, he did not attend and hence he did not get selected. That’s all. BCCI has asked players to play domestic cricket as many were not doing so. You can see that Pakistani players are not playing domestic cricket. You might have heard Wasim Akram’s comment on that after Pakistan’s defeat in the final. The Pakistani team goes around the globe to play cricket but does not play domestic cricket. You need to do that as it adds value. It makes you a better player. You should note that Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and all greats played domestic cricket when they were not playing internationals. You need to play for your State whenever you can.

What have you to say on the Supreme Court lifting the ban on Santhosh Karunakaran?

No comments. The ban on playing cricket has been lifted. So, Santhosh can play cricket now.

What do you think is most important to encourage women to play cricket in tier-2 cities?

We are planning to give more matches to tier-2 cities. More matches are being played in Madhya Pradesh. Apart from finals, we are planning to give more matches to tier-2 cities. If we had more domestic flights to and from Thiruvananthapurm, we would have got a match in Kerala this time. But that match got shifted to Mumbai. If we conduct more matches, there will be more people coming to the stadium and this will be encouraging for more to play the game.

Do you think social media adds value to promote women’s cricket?

Of course, BCCI has a good social media handle. We are planning to bring more eyeballs to the game using this.

You have a good relationship with Jay Shah. How do you perceive the friendship?

It all started in 2011. We came to BCCI together as committee members. We used to play together, Gujarat had played many matches with Kerala. Then we worked together from 2019 to 2022 as office-bearers. I was joint secretary to Jay Shah.

Do you believe in strict management styles? Being friendly to players, do you think that works?

From time to time and from player to player, it varies. Players need freedom but we need to be strict as well. There is a lot of money in cricket, so players are likely to get lost on the way. So, we need to follow strict rules and protocols. BCCI has strict rules on that. There should be discipline as cricket is a gentleman’s game.