Former Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami has expressed a strong belief that the future of women's cricket lies in franchise leagues, urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to prioritize these tournaments over traditional bilateral series. With her vast experience both as a player and a coach, Goswami emphasized that the growing prominence of T20 leagues like the Women's Premier League (WPL), Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), and The Hundred is essential for the global development of the sport.

In a recent appearance on ESPNcricinfo's Powerplay podcast, Goswami, who has been actively involved in coaching roles with Mumbai Indians in the WPL and is set to join Trinbago Knight Riders for the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), highlighted the challenges posed by the increasingly crowded cricket calendar. She noted that the rise of franchise leagues has led to scheduling conflicts with international assignments, creating a dilemma for players and boards alike.

"It's a big challenge for women's cricket," Goswami said. "Earlier we saw these things happen for men's cricket but never expected it to happen for women's cricket, but that's happening. And I'm happy to see that. The ICC needs to take care; franchise cricket is the future of women's cricket. And that's the growth of women's cricket globally. You have to give priority to every franchise league; otherwise, cricket will not grow."

The debate over club versus country has become more pronounced in women's cricket in recent years, with several top players having to make tough decisions about where to focus their efforts. For instance, England captain Heather Knight chose to prioritize her national duties during a tour of New Zealand earlier this year, even though it meant missing out on the final stages of the WPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who eventually won the tournament. Similarly, Australian stars like Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner opted out of The Hundred last year to manage their workload ahead of a busy 2023.

Goswami pointed out the significant role that franchise leagues have played in developing new talent. "See how many quality cricketers were produced by franchise cricket in the last few years, starting with WBBL as well as The Hundred, WCPL, and WPL," she said. "A lot of youngsters have emerged from these leagues, so you have to give priority to those windows and, after that, have bilateral series."

The former fast bowler also warned that without careful scheduling, women's cricket could lose some of its brightest talents to overlapping commitments. "If you have your bilateral series and franchise leagues clashing, then you will lose out on quality cricketers. And if you don't have quality cricketers, then your tournament is not going to be successful," she added.

As the cricket calendar for 2024 fills up with back-to-back events like The Hundred, WCPL, T20 World Cup, and WBBL, Goswami's call for prioritizing franchise leagues over bilateral series becomes even more relevant. She believes that by creating dedicated windows for these leagues, women's cricket can continue to grow and thrive on the global stage.

"We should make sure that when the premier league (franchise) tournaments are going on, give them certain windows, and after that, you have the bilateral series. It will help women's cricket's growth also. That is my personal view," Goswami concluded.