‘A massive moment’: World champion Australia welcomes arrival of Women’s Premier League

Australia coach Shelley Nitschke has described the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) as a “massive moment” for the sport, but admits the staging of its auction during the T20 World Cup has been distracting.

The WPL auction took place on Monday while the Australians were conducting a training session in South Africa ahead of their second match at the T20 World Cup.

Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was sold to the Gujarat Giants for $558,000, the second-highest amount paid for a player in the auction.

Gardner watched the auction unfold on her phone while training at St George’s Park in Gqeberha.

Teammate Beth Mooney is also headed to the Gujarat Giants after attracting $350,000, while Ellyse Perry was the third-highest-paid Australian, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore successfully bidding $297,000 for the star all-rounder.

Nitschke said the timing of the auction was not ideal, given her team was currently defending its world championship in South Africa.

But she said Australia and the other World Cup teams had done their best not to let the WPL hype get in the way of their preparations.

“It was what it was and I think that most teams have handled it reasonably well,” Nitschke told ABC Sport.

“It was a massive moment for the sport in general.”

Nitschke said the WPL was an important step for the growth of women’s cricket around the world.

“It’s a great thing for the game and it’s been an interesting experience for the players as they head into another part of the professionalism of the game,” she said.

The WPL will be held in India next month, with five teams contesting the tournament.

Australia is undefeated at the T20 World Cup ahead of its match against South Africa on Sunday morning AEDT.