Opinion | Girls Who Play, Girls Who Lead

The Chinar Premier League (CPL) 2026 became a special platform for young cricket players, with a separate women’s tournament called the Chinar Women’s Premier League (CWPL)

A sport is not just a sport. It is a way of discovering and developing the qualities within us. It teaches us discipline, confidence, teamwork, patience and the courage to face challenges. The playing field can help a person understand their own strengths and learn how to work with others.

For a long time, many sports were seen as activities mainly meant for boys. Girls were often given fewer opportunities to participate, especially in games that were considered physically demanding or traditionally dominated by boys. But this picture is slowly changing. Today, girls are stepping onto the field, taking up the challenge and proving that talent and determination have no gender.

In Baramulla, this change is becoming visible through opportunities being created for girls in sports. They are not only participating but also learning to compete, support their teammates and take responsibility. Every match gives them a chance to build confidence and every challenge teaches them something new. These experiences can help them in many other areas of life as well.

A particularly encouraging development is the beginning of a night sports event for girls at Bipin Rawat Stadium in Baramulla. If this is indeed the first such girls’ night sporting event in the stadium’s history, it marks an important moment for women in sports in the area. Playing under lights gives these young athletes a new platform to showcase their talent and experience organised competition.

Such initiatives deserve appreciation because they send a simple but powerful message: girls belong on the playing field too. When girls are allowed to play, they do more than participate. They learn to work together, believe in themselves, take decisions and lead. The journey from being a player to becoming a leader can begin with something as simple as stepping onto the field.

The Chinar Premier League (CPL) 2026 became a special platform for young cricket players, with a separate women’s tournament called the Chinar Women’s Premier League (CWPL). Held during August and September 2026, the main matches, including a historic day-night match, were played at the General Bipin Rawat Stadium in Baramulla.

The CWPL began on September 6, 2026, with 12 women’s teams from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh taking part. One of the most significant moments of the tournament was the participation of a women’s cricket team from Ladakh, making its debut in the league for the first time. This added a new dimension to the tournament and gave women players from different regions an opportunity to compete on the same platform.

The larger Chinar Premier League featured 79 teams and around 1,600 players. The tournament was organised by the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps in collaboration with the Baramulla Cricket Forum and the local administration.

The main aim of the league was to encourage young people to channel their energy into sports, promote women’s empowerment and provide talented players from the grassroots level with a bigger platform. It also aimed to build teamwork, friendship and social harmony through sport. For the girls taking part, the CWPL was not just a cricket tournament but an opportunity to play, learn, gain confidence and show that girls can compete and lead on the field.

In the past, families often had concerns about girls joining sports because of safety, studies and social expectations. Girls also had fewer organised competitions and proper platforms to show their talent. Today, the situation is gradually changing. Girls are openly participating in organised tournaments, while families and communities are becoming more supportive. They are getting better exposure, opportunities to compete and a chance to develop their skills. Sports are now being seen not just as a game but as a way to build confidence, discipline, teamwork and leadership. Initiatives like the CWPL are giving girls a platform to showcase their talent and dream bigger.

The importance of the CWPL goes beyond the matches played on the field. When girls take part in a public sporting event, their presence can also influence how younger girls see their own possibilities. A girl watching a player from her own region compete may begin to imagine herself doing the same one day.

This creates a wider impact. Today’s players can become tomorrow’s role models for younger children in their schools, neighbourhoods and communities. Their journey can encourage other girls to come forward, try something new and take their interests seriously.

Leadership does not always begin with holding an official position. Sometimes, it begins when someone becomes an example for others. A young woman who continues her sporting journey, represents her team and works towards her goals can show others that there is space for them too.

This is where the story of girls in sports becomes bigger than cricket. Their participation can slowly change expectations about what girls can choose, achieve and become. With continued opportunities, some of these young players may go on to represent their region, build careers in sport or contribute to their communities in different ways.

The real success of such initiatives will be seen not only in the matches they produce, but also in the doors they open for the next generation. When one girl gets an opportunity to play, many more may begin to believe that they can step onto the field too.

The journey is still growing, but the direction is clear: girls are moving from the sidelines to the centre of the sporting space. They are not only becoming players; they are becoming visible examples of what young women can achieve when opportunities are available.

Faizajaan181118@gmail.com