West Indies captain Hayley Matthews believes there is tremendous potential for women’s cricket to grow, and she sees the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as a crucial platform to drive that progress.

Matthews, who has been in scintillating form this season with over 330 runs—including three half-centuries—and 17 wickets, will lead her Mumbai Indians women’s team into the WPL final against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

The all-rounder, who is rated as one of the best in the women's game, pointed out that leagues like the WPL are not just about competition, but also about elevating the women’s game on a global stage.

“I feel like once upon a time, women’s cricket was probably like, ‘Come and watch the game to support the women,’ whereas now I feel like we have a product that’s entertaining, and we have these skills that people want to see us play cricket,” Matthews said in a recent interview with Reuters.

She emphasized how the visibility and competitiveness of T20 leagues have transformed perceptions of the sport.

“I think just getting the opportunity to play these leagues and have all the games televised and have people watching and supporting is naturally going to help the game to grow. There’s plenty of opportunities for women to grow in cricket, and I think competitions like the WPL give a platform for the game to grow. It introduces people to the game . . . shows the level of skill that we have in women’s cricket," she shared.

The 26-year-old has been a standout performer in this season’s WPL, as her 17-wicket tally heads the bowling chart so far, ahead of her Mumbai Indians teammate Amelia Kerr, who has 16.

Mumbai Indians booked their spot in the final when they bettered Gujarat Giants in the eliminator after an 11-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru saw them narrowly miss out on topping the table.

“We have a really good balance of international players as well as the local Indian players too. We get contributions from so many different participants in the team, like Nat [Sciver-Brunt], Melie [Amelia Kerr], Shab [Shabnim Ismail], myself—being able to step up as internationals. When you look at a captain like Harmanpreet [Kaur], even the young players, like Sanskriti Gupta, that have come in this year, have been able to make massive impacts," Matthews noted.

While her focus is firmly on the WPL final, Matthews also has long-term ambitions for West Indies cricket. Leading her team to a World Cup triumph remains a dream, especially after they came so close in last year's T20 World Cup, when they fell to New Zealand by just eight runs in the semi-final.

But Matthews is also eagerly anticipating West Indies’ return to Test cricket. The team, which last played a Test match in 2004 against Pakistan, will host Australia next year for a one-off Test before facing England at home in 2027 and traveling to South Africa in 2028.

“I feel Test cricket is the pinnacle of cricket. It’s called Test cricket for a reason. It’s a very challenging format of the game. I can’t wait for the opportunity to go there and put on some whites and experience what that format is like," she declared.

For now, though, all eyes are on Saturday’s WPL final, where Matthews will aim to guide Mumbai Indians to glory.