Sunday, 27 April 2025
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Let’s leave the good old cliche of cricket being a ‘gentleman’s game’ in the parking lot for now. Because far removed from the glitz and glamour revolving around the Virat Kohlis and the Rohit Sharmas, there’s a bunch of women adding a silver lining to the male-dominated Indian Premier League.
There was a time when top guns such as Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya played the crucial behind-the-scenes role in the cash-rich league. But now, the spotlight has slowly turned towards the women who are consistently contributing to the progression of the IPL.
Let’s take a look at the female personalities who grab the spotlight in the IPL more often than not.
Kavya Maran - The Sunrisers’ North Star
When the camera zeroes in on an influential woman in an SRH jersey, you know it’s Kavya Maran, the co-owner and CEO of the franchise.
Her active participation in auctions and contribution to the team's strategic decisions have made her a popular face in the IPL.
Under Maran’s leadership, the list of SRH’s retained players features Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, among others. That apart, her sufficient backing has helped the likes of Henrich Klassen become bigger brands in world cricket.
Being in charge of the 2025 bidding process, she bagged Mohammed Shami for Rs 10 crore. The power-packed lineup is proof of Maran’s business acumen in the cricketing sphere.
Mallika Sagar - First female auctioneer in IPL history
A Mumbai-based auctioneer, Mallika Sagar stepped into the world of sports in 2021 through the Pro Kabaddi League. Next, she was part of the inaugural Women's Premier League auction in 2023. Then came the big league. Sagar became the first female auctioneer to lead the IPL auction in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah in 2024.
Raised in a Mumbai business family, Mallika pursued her passion for art history at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia. Her career began at the prestigious Christie’s auction house in New York, where she became the first Indian woman auctioneer to oversee international art sales. This unique background of managing multi-million-dollar art deals paved her way to become a leader in sports auctions.
Before her sports auctioneering career, she was a well-known art auctioneer. She worked with Pundole’s, a reputed Mumbai-based auction house, specialising in modern and contemporary Indian art.
Nita Ambani
As we know, the Reliance Industries director is the owner of Mumbai Indians. With five titles to their name, Mumbai Indians are one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. Nita Ambani’s ‘One Family’ approach has played a key role in achieving the feat.
The strategy of nurturing young talents has produced players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Verma and Hardik Pandya.
Ahead of IPL 2025, she reflected on the franchise's approach to talent acquisition and developing the next generation of cricketers.
It goes without saying that her leadership has been a significant factor in MI's consistency in performances.
Preity Zinta
Punjab Kings have had a loyal owner in Preity Zinta since the inception of the Indian Premier League. So much so that no owner has been spotted in the stands as many times as Zinta despite Punjab being consistently inconsistent.
Under her co-ownership, the team has reached the IPL final in 2014, their best-ever performance. More so, she is always involved in the team’s management and promotional activities as and when required.
The motivation she provides to the players both on and off the field makes her indispensable to the entire set-up. Her charity and social initiatives, including promoting girls’ education and rural sports have made inroads across society lines.
Juhi Chawla
Zinta’s Bollywood contemporary, Juhi Chawla cannot be passed of as a mere addition to the top brass of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Her contribution counts more than you might think. Her consistent contributions to the team’s branding and promotional activities have helped the entire franchise thrive as a business set-up as well.
Chawla is consistently involved in marketing campaigns and keeps a close eye on events and sponsorship deals. KKR’s corporate social responsibility rests on the shoulders of Chawla, who stresses on developments across relevant fronts such as education, healthcare and youth sports.
Now, along with her husband Jay Mehta she is preparing her daughter Janhavi for KKR’s future leadership.
