Mumbai, March 10 Ellyse Perry, the leading run-getter in 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) with 323 runs in seven innings, said she feels fortunate to be a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) purely because of the support for the huge support the franchise gets from its fans.
“We went to the first IPL match where Brendan McCullum scored around 150 runs for KKR. I remember thinking that was the most insane thing ever. Now, to be on the same field with a packed stadium where we can’t even communicate because it’s so loud—it’s incredible. All of us at RCB feel so fortunate to be playing for this team because the support is just crazy," said Ellyse on the RCB Podcast - Bold and Beyond show.
Having made her debut for Australia at 17, Ellyse recalled her early years in international cricket. “It's funny. I'm not sure you learn a lot in the early phases because everything's just so new. You often see young players coming in their first year, and it looks so easy for them. That’s because they have no expectations and no past experiences to draw from. It’s a lovely time to play because you just take everything in your stride and play with so much freedom.”
She also reflected on the growth of women's cricket from the time she made her debut to now. “When I first started, hardly any of our matches were televised, maybe one or two a year, which were precursors to men's matches. The kind of reporting always followed the same narrative: ‘Do you wish that you were paid more to play? Do you wish you had more attention?’ It sort of perpetuated the same storyline about women's sport.”
“If you fast forward 15, 20 years to now, every match is covered, we’ve got 30,000 people at the stadium every night, and women have the opportunity to work in sport full-time, whether as a player, a coach, an administrator, or an executive.”
Though RCB haven’t made it to WPL 2025 playoffs, Ellyse still has been the franchise’s best player in the season. The veteran all-rounder stated that her desire to learn and meet new people in the WPL have been big motivating factors in putting her best foot forward on the field.
“I think I've been able to continue to learn, which has been the most motivating factor. To be still playing, the opportunity that always presents itself is to learn something new, to be challenged. And I think particularly in women's cricket, every year it just gets a little bit bigger, a little bit better.
“It's been amazing to see how much domestic talent is coming through. Meeting so many young players, whether at RCB or other franchises, has shown me how big this opportunity is for them.
“As this tournament progresses, I see more opportunities for young girls playing and coming through and how good they are. It’s a bit scary! Every year I come back, there are new faces pushing the standards even higher,” she concluded.
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