MUMBAI: The IPL governing council, which met in person for the first time in almost two years here Friday, has reportedly decided to make “all efforts” to start a six-team annual Twenty20 tournament for women cricketers.
At the GC meeting, it was also decided that first preference would be given to the existing IPL franchises as far as owning any of the six teams is concerned, Cricbuzz reports. If ownership of the proposed six teams is not made up from among the ten existing IPL franchises, the BCCI will invite outside parties, the cricket website fiurther reports.
It bears noting that the BCCI, despite its financial might, has been lagging behind other cricket boards as far as getting a women’s T20 league off the ground is concerned. At the moment, there are three women’s T20 Leagues operating in the cricket world – Australia’s Big Bash League, England’s Women’s Cricket Super League and South Africa’s Women’s T20 Super League. Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced plans to start a three-team league from this year, alongside the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and neighbouring Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also confirmed plans for its own women’s T20 league.
A top BCCI official recently told Cricbuzz that it is the responsibility of the board to start a women’s league, irrespective of commercial returns from the tournament.
Explaining the idea of a women’s IPL, a GC member told the website that the feasibility of the six-team league will be explored in the coming days. “Obviously, running the event alongside the men’s IPL may not be possible. We may have to explore a window first. Besides, the details of the proposed event will be worked out,” the GC member said. This year, he confirmed, there will be three teams and four matches, which will be played during the IPL.
As for this year, there will be the normal Women’s Twenty20 Challenge where three teams will play four matches, the schedule dovetailed into IPL 2022.
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