UP Warriorz owner Jinisha Sharma: We’re lucky we don’t have IPL legacy, we can build our own

The days leading up to the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) have been frenetic.

Players are flying in from around the world, last-minute strategies are being chalked out, training is on in full swing and franchises are maximising every operational part of the day to keep the fans involved.

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Life at the UP Warriorz base in Bengaluru is no different. As team owner Jinisha Sharma sits down for a chat, she is finalising a coffee order for the squad winding down in the team room.

“I see myself as a facilitator,” Jinisha tells  Sportstar ahead of the league’s second season.

“The idea is to give the girls as relaxed an environment as possible for them to play the best they can. It’s to give some of them the push to get out of their rooms and get to know their teammates,” she explains.

Going with the flow

As an owner, fostering this camaraderie goes a long way in the kind of results the outfit can manage on the field, as evidenced by the side’s campaign in 2023.

After inconsistent results early on, the team found its rhythm, the playing combinations clicked and the Alyssa Healy-led side found itself in the knockouts.

The hands-on approach isn’t restricted to her WPL team. Jinisha, who currently heads Capri Sports — the sporting arm of Capri Global Holdings Private Limited — also manages teams in kabaddi (Bengal Warriors), kho kho (Rajasthan Warriors) and International League T20 (Sharjah Warriors). It’s one thing to call the shots in an environment filled with women — what Jinisha calls her ‘girl gang’ — and a whole new challenge to be the person in charge of men’s outfits.

“This is something we recognised quite early… each athlete will view the hierarchy and respond to it differently. We don’t want to impose or be chatty and put players in an awkward position. For example, Mani (Maninder Singh, captain of Bengal Warriors) is absolutely fine sitting down and having a relaxed chat about things. Not all kabaddi players are the same way,” Jinisha elaborates.

It’s been a little over a year since Jinisha took over operations at Capri’s sporting ventures. Business ecosystems can be isolating spots for women, particularly in leadership positions.

According to a study by Mastercard, women make up only 26.9% of the executive leadership of 31 major international sports federations. Only three are led by women. While the skewed gender ratio is an element the industry has identified as an issue to address, Jinisha feels the hurdle she faces is more age-related.

A seat at the table

“Maybe it’s in my head,” Jinisha adds with a cheeky smile.

“I often wonder if those around me are taking me seriously enough because I am younger. I am aware of the fact that I am still on a learning curve when it comes to the job. While I do take a stand when needed on most of the brand stuff, I have a really good team supporting me whom I rely on a lot because of the expertise they have in each area of functioning,” she says.

That said, the WPL by itself was formed to allow women parity in opportunities, platform and grandeur. Jinisha is not encouraged by the fact that the number of women in these areas can still be counted on one’s fingers.

“I’ve been trying to get more women into the field, whether it’s in contract hiring or via internships. A lot of the time, women don’t have the same depth of experience as men do and that comes in the way in getting good positions in operational spaces. We need to actually create opportunities where we can either get someone as an intern who might then be able to improve on this experience, move to the IPL (Indian Premier League) and eventually come back to us in this sphere with a paid contract. I feel like it’s a chicken-and-egg situation. The time to think is over, it is time to make things happen,” she says.

Her principles found an ally in skipper Healy who insists that the control should be with the players on how their lives would be during the WPL.

“I love that Alyssa is very strong. She possesses all of the qualities of a leader… she is not afraid to speak her mind, she’s not afraid to say no to things. Sports ecosystems can be quite templated. There is a certain expectation from players and plenty of off-field responsibilities. You’d imagine it’s enough for an athlete to go out there and do their best. But that’s not enough.

“They have 1,020 interviews and brands they have to perform for, meet and greet and much more. For women’s cricket, this is still fairly new. They have never actually had to do this. They have never had to juggle so many balls at once. Now, though, they have to go out there and sell a product too.

“In that context, Alyssa was able to draw boundaries and figure out how to shield her players as well as she possibly could. Indian culture focuses on appeasing and obeying elders and hierarchy, but we were able to give players space to make choices,” Jinisha reveals.

This is a theme the management is trying to maintain while addressing players’ mental health as well. The side has brought in a sports psychologist who will operate independent of the management.

“We don’t want to involve ourselves in the communications between the players and the psychologists. We’ve let players know that there is access to this resource and they can speak to them directly. We want to ensure they have someone to speak to when the pressure amps up a bit. From the management side, the effort is to ensure that kind of trust to confide is built among teammates and staff. Alyssa and our team mentor Lisa Sthalekar work a lot towards that,” she adds.

Passion or pragmatism

Three of the five WPL entities have teams in the IPL, lending their legacies to the women’s vertical. UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants, both franchises with other sporting operations too, do not. Jinisha called this a boon for the outfit.

“We are very fortunate that we don’t have the men’s IPL legacy attached to us and we don’t have a format or a template in which we have to fit in. That allows us to actually go out there and do things that have otherwise not been done.”

This becomes important when the think-tank sits down to make financial calls and branding decisions which would help sell the Warriorz brand and its experience to a larger audience.

“Last year, we focused on just being there operationally, making sure everything was done. This time, we’re kind of playing a little bit more on the front foot with a lot of our partnerships and ideas that we want to implement. We don’t want to be a side that just came and played games. I don’t want to be a franchise that just exists. I want to ensure that this is a franchise that is remembered,” Jinisha adds.

This quest for a lasting impression can even make gamblers out of the most cautious entrepreneurs. With the seasonal attention coming WPL’s way and, by extension, the larger women’s cricket community, it is tempting to cash in and explore merchandising and other fan-driven initiatives. Jinisha is wary of getting carried away.

“Take the jersey, for instance. It is quite banging, if I say so myself. If I am being honest, though, the data on merchandising is not very positive. We have plans for a limited drop this season,” she admits.

However, the appetite for women’s sports doesn’t begin and end with material things. While the WPL is still taking baby steps in the franchise world, this toddler is learning to walk at an alarmingly fast rate.

Behind the scenes

“2023 has been the busiest year for the women’s game. This time, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup comes soon after the WPL. I think that’s a very good sign that it’s not just us, but even the league, even the BCCI and the ICC which is deciding to up the ante.

“We want more. We want more players. We want to increase the pool. Eventually, there will be a sixth team and we know there are more than enough players to stack up that side given the number of quality players who missed out. These are signs that the commercials are looking healthy.”

A way to boost the interest in the women’s game while keeping the focus lights firmly on the players has led to a docu-series.

The Warriorz have roped in award-winning filmmaker Arlene Nelson and look to do for the women’s game what the likes of Drive to Survive (Formula One), Break Point (Tennis) and The Test (Cricket) did for their respective sports.

“We wanted to actually dive deeper into the stories that have made these women cricketers and where they’ve come from. We’ve gone to England, we’ve gone to Australia, we’ve been around in India to different players’ homes. We’ve spoken to their families, giving context to who these girls are and where they come from,” Jinisha says.

“I think we are still yet to see that breakout moment for the WPL, where every single person knows about it and is gearing up to be a part of it. We’re hoping this can push audiences towards that end. You think you know all of these players because you’ve seen their interviews, you’ve read about them and you’ve seen them play, but we’re going to peel multiple layers and show you sides to them that you’ve not seen before,” she signs off.