In some excellent news for women’s cricket in the country, ESPNcricinfo has reported that the 3rd season of the IPL Women’s Challenge will go ahead as scheduled, during the IPL Playoffs. The tournament will probably be slotted between November 4th and 9th, when the knockout stage of the IPL will take place. BCCI had earlier confirmed that the Women’s Challenge will take place during the playoffs, but no official confirmation was received thereafter.
However, BCCI has only announced the schedule for IPL’s group stages and is expected to announce the agenda for the women’s matches when the playoff calendar is released. With the IPL Finals scheduled for 10th November, it’s a fair assumption that the Women’s T20 Challenge will take place in the week leading up to the big finals. ESPNcricinfo, in their report, further stated that the week-long tournament will feature 3 teams and 4 matches. In the previous season, Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas won the title and managed to defend their title from the debut season.
The third edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge (mini Women’s IPL) likely to be held between November 4 and 9 in the UAE.
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The report explained that the Indian and international players, much like their male counterparts, will have to go through a six-day quarantine. All three teams will be in the same hotel and will be contained within a bio-secure environment. In this bio bubble, testing will be done thrice – on the first day, the third day, and the fifth day. Provided the players clear all the three tests, they will be allowed to participate in training sessions, and the Women’s Challenge, thereafter.
However, this season’s Women’s Challenge is unlikely to feature the biggest names in international cricket. The tournament will clash with the elite women’s cricket league, WBBL, and will engage the biggest names in women’s cricket. This makes the availability of top international stars from England, Australia, England, and South Africa, highly doubtful. Despite this, the tournament will feature some top international players from England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The report goes on to mention that the BCCI, through the appointment of the new women’s selection committee, has started to shortlist Indian uncapped players for the Women’s T20 Challenge. At the same time, some minute details and the international players’ list are being ironed out by BCCI before giving an official go-ahead to the tournament.
After months of speculations and rumors, this is some fantastic news for the development of cricket across new horizons. We went from 2 teams in the first edition of the tournament to 3 teams in the second season, and have maintained this solid base into the 3rd season now. With women’s cricket more popular than ever and a steady viewership number garnered in the Women’s T20 Challenge, a full season of Women’s IPL shouldn’t be too far ahead now.
Source: ESPN Cricinfo
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