“I have not spent much time with Harman,” Keightley, the new Mumbai Indians head coach tells HT. “There’s been little pockets around the auction planning, but she’s been so busy with the effects of the World Cup. I think she’s looking forward to getting to the competition (Women’s Premier League) where she can just be Harman the cricketer.” WPL’s fourth edition starts on Friday.

Keightley is keen to get going and for that, forging a rapport with the team captain would be crucial. The Australian player-turned-coach, 54, is vastly experienced, having worked with the Australia and England women’s teams in different coaching capacities as well as many T20 franchise teams.

“In international cricket, you’ve got time to develop a player,” she said. “In franchise cricket, you’re pretty much trying to get them to execute a game plan very quickly. You might help in technique a little bit, but it’s more about the outcome. Getting those connections and you need to do it at speed.

“Hopefully Harman will be playing for a little bit longer,” she said, when asked about team transition. “Amanjot (Kaur) down the track could be a very good leader. We’ve got SS (Sajeevan Sajna) who leads and then you’ve got the opportunity to have an international captain, if that development didn’t come through. But MI, they do everything really, really well in planning for that succession. Harman, when that time comes over the next few years, I’m sure by the time she leads there’ll be someone ready to take her position.”

Under Harman, MI have won two WPL titles. For Keightley, the challenge is to take the team to the next level. “If they can repeat (winning), it would be a nice start. Their core group is consistent and they perform under pressure. I’d like to…not just your core, you need other players too to step up.

The MI auction strategy was to get experienced players. “Those who’ve played a lot of domestic cricket, they’re the ones in those pressure moments winning matches.”

The women’s game is younger than men’s, says the twice world champion. “That will change over time because you can stay in women’s cricket for a lot longer now,” she said. “For example, I retired at 34. Now the average retirement age is truly past that. In franchise cricket, it’s really good if you have a mix of both. You look at Shafali Verma (21) and Meg Lanning (33) over the last three years. G Kamalini, for example, great, talented and exciting cricketer, but in and around experience.”

Data as support

Keightley “loves use of data” but dare not try coded cards with Harmanpreet in charge on the field. “I would never do that if there is an experienced captain because I think 95% of the time they get the call right,” she said. “I would hope we’ve prepped Harman on potential options. Then I would love cricket to stay with that nice human decision making, but a lot of sports have gone down a different avenue.”

In principle, Keightley is a believer in data because “a very good analyst can check and challenge my thoughts,” she said. “I like to have a bit of gut feel, but I like the evidence supporting it sometimes.”

As the women’s T20 gathers speed, the MI head coach expects multifaceted cricketers becoming a norm. “If you’re only doing one skill now, you’ve got to be very good at it. I think more players are definitely either allrounders, or if they are a bowler, can power-hit at the end…that transition is coming through. And if you are a bowler, being able to bowl in all three phases. For batters, how they can clear the rope has been a big improvement.

“It’s also how they can hit the gap. We have only four fielders out right now. So, there’s always a gap. I can’t wait for women’s cricket to have five fielders out. The time has come because they can clear the rope, it would be nice for the bowlers to have that comfort.”