The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be conducting a Senior Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy in Pune from March 28. The competition will see women’s red-ball cricket return to India’s domestic calendar after a gap of six years.
The move comes after the Indian women’s team’s return to Test cricket. The side has played Tests against Australia and England in the recent years. Domestic red ball cricket for women was last held in 2018, PTI reports.
Per Cricbuzz, the tournament will feature teams representing six zones – East, West, North, South, Central, and NorthEast – competing in a series of five matches. The semifinals are slated for April 3, with the finals from April 9.
The competition follows soon after the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) concludes on March 17.
The Maharashtra Cricket Association will be hosting the tournament.
“It is a welcome step taken by BCCI. The national team has started playing Test cricket again and we need the next generation of cricketers to play red ball cricket at the domestic level,” former India pacer Amita Sharma told PTI.
“I would also want red ball to be played at the state level and not just zonal level. Back in the day we had both those events,” she added.
It will start with the quarterfinals between East Zone and North East Zone and West Zone and Central Zone on March 28 with
