When Marizanne Kapp speaks about the Women's Premier League, she does so less as a beneficiary of its rise and more as a witness to its consequences. From a player's perspective, the South Africa all-rounder believes the WPL has marked a decisive shift in women's cricket, one that has altered not just opportunity but expectation.

For Kapp, the impact of the WPL is already visible at the very top of the game. "People don't always understand how important these leagues are for women's cricket," she said during a select media roundtable ahead of the new season. "You saw now India won their first women's World Cup in a very long time. That already shows you what an impact it's had, not only on women's cricket, but on Indian cricket as well."

The league's influence, Kapp insists, cannot be measured purely through broadcast numbers or packed stadiums. Its true value lies in what it does to players, particularly those exposed to elite competition on a regular basis. Kapp counts herself among them. "On a personal level, my game would never have grown the way it has if it wasn't for these leagues," she said. "Even when you look at the youngsters coming through now, a lot of that is thanks to leagues like the WPL."

Having played across franchise tournaments globally, Kapp is well placed to explain what sets the WPL apart. The distinction, she feels, lies in how quickly the league has accelerated the growth of domestic players. According to Kapp, the shift has been driven by exposure as much as execution. For young players unaccustomed to international cricket, the initial step up can be daunting. The WPL, however, compresses that learning curve.

"If you look at the WPL, the first year was probably mainly your internationals and Indian international players performing," she observed. "But from years two and three, you could already see a much bigger impact from the domestic players. That's the beauty of these leagues. Once these youngsters start playing with international cricketers and realise they can perform against the best in the world, it gives them a completely different level of confidence. You're now seeing that reflected in match-winning performances from domestic players."

That confidence has flourished in environments like Delhi Capitals, where Kapp believes continuity and culture have been central to sustained success. Despite losing three finals, she rejects the idea that the team struggles under pressure. "Every single game you go into, there's pressure. I feel like we've done so well over the past three years. At some stages, it was just a bit of bad luck and us not having our best days in the finals."