The England and Mumbai Indians all-rounder discusses her dilemma between club and country.
When Nat Sciver-Brunt earned £320,000 at the inaugural WPL auction, she had mixed feelings. Not only was the concept of being 'sold' bizarre, but she had a T20 World Cup match to play that day - her England teammates had been overlooked in the bidding and missed out on a potentially life-changing payday.
There was another downside when the 2024 fixtures were confirmed about a month before the tournament kicked off on 23 February. England were already scheduled to travel to New Zealand for two white-ball series starting on 19 March, just two days after the WPL final, with star all-rounder Sciver-Brunt hoping to win back-to-back trophies with Mumbai Indians.
But she couldn't fly almost a full day to play the first match.
She had to make a choice, and while money was a factor, it was not the only one.
Jon Lewis, the head coach of England Women, faced a similar dilemma. He will be with UP Warriorz until March 11. If they progress to the knockouts, his assistant Ashley Noffke will take over. Lewis hopes that national boards will create a window for the WPL to avoid this problem in the future. However, this did not make the situation any easier this time.
Jonathan Finch, the director of England Women's cricket, called the players to outline their options and allowed them to make their own decisions. England's captain, Heather Knight, and fast bowler, Lauren Bell, withdrew from their franchise deals. Meanwhile, Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt, and Alice Capsey will join the England squad for the fourth T20I on March 27, replacing Hollie Armitage and Linsey Smith. Kate Cross will arrive for the subsequent ODI series.
Sciver-Brunt disclosed that she had spoken with Issy Wong, her Mumbai teammate who was not selected for England's tour, and Wyatt, who overcame disappointment at not being picked up at the 2023 auction with a deal at UP Warriorz this year.
The women's franchise scene is growing, and scheduling conflicts are becoming more common. Women's players are also having to adjust to the concept of auctions.
This edition of the WPL marks Sciver-Brunt's third visit to India in the last 12 months. She toured with England at the end of last year, winning the T20I series 2-1 before being beaten by 347 runs in the Test.
England's batting against spin was exposed at home against Sri Lanka last September, especially in Sciver-Brunt's absence during their 2-1 T20I series defeat. Select groups have been travelling to India for training camps since then. The player hopes that her experience of playing in subcontinental conditions will benefit her country when they compete in this year's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 2025 World Cup in India.
Meanwhile, as a senior player in the England team, Sciver-Brunt has embraced leadership as national vice-captain. Her career spans a decade and 223 internationals across three formats. She plans to support skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her Mumbai team-mates on and off the field. Last year, she was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 332 runs, just 13 behind the leader Meg Lanning, and also took 10 wickets.