Harmanpreet Kaur, a self-confessed social media addict, remembers being hooked to Cricket Australias Womens Big Bash League page to follow all the updates of the initial stages of the inaugural season. A month later, in January 2016, she experienced the buzz from close quarters, when she toured with the Indian team for a limited-overs series.Later this year, she will get an opportunity to play in the tournament, after signing with WBBL champions Sydney Thunder for the upcoming season. The path-breaking deal makes her the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to feature in Australias Big Bash League.We knew it would be big, but didnt realise the WBBL would be such a huge hit until we got there earlier this year, Harmanpreet told ESPNcricinfo. Whichever venue we visited, there was a lot of talk about the tournament. That internally motivated a lot of us, and it got us thinking, Right, if we do well like Australia have on the global stage, there is a possibility of an IPL-style league for women. In many ways, the atmosphere and the sporting culture of Australia fired us up. Our T20 series win also boosted the morale of the entire team.Harmanpreet remembers watching the final of the inaugural WBBL from her hotel room in Adelaide, a couple of days ahead of Indias T20I series against the then Womens World T20 champions Australia. At the teams training session the following day, she was overwhelmed when her compatriots remarked that she was good enough to be playing in the tournament.Two days later, on Australia Day and Indias Republic Day, Harmanpreet proved why she was one of the most-improved players in the womens circuit when her unbeaten 31-ball 46 scripted India Womens highest chase in a T20I. Immediately after the knock, she received congratulatory messages from a number of franchises.That was when it dawned upon us that these performances were being noticed, because when I started, womens cricket was mainly about England, Australia and New Zealand, she said. On that tour, the vibe was different. Generally, foreign tours mean a quiet arrival, followed by training and matches. But this time during our tour, there was a real buzz. Television channels were seeking reactions; fans were at the ground in big numbers. We were being recognised. I think our series win there contributed towards a lot of our names being put forward on the franchise shortlists.Harmanpreet received offers from two other franchises, including Sydney Sixers, runners-up in the inaugural season, but said money wasnt the deciding factor. Opportunities were what I was looking for, she said. With just two overseas slots for foreign players, I was looking at sides where you have a chance to make XIs on a regular basis. With Thunder having just one overseas player, I thought thats where I could get maximum game time.Also, Stafanie Taylor, who will be my colleague there, is someone who I hugely admire. We started our careers around the same time, and being a fellow professional, Ive followed her a lot of late. The manner in which she has carried West Indies single-handedly has been inspirational. Both of us are allrounders, so Im looking forward to learning from her. The prospect of playing with Australias best is also exciting.Harmanpreet, who admires Australias aggressive style of play, picked out fitness over skill as one of the major differences between India and the other top nations. Being in a professional structure, she said, would offer an opportunity to study how different professionals go about their work.As a team, we havent played for four months