The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is developing a T20 cricket league like the Indian Premier League (IPL). BCCI Secretary Jay Shah recently spoke about the plans of the Indian Cricket Board to host the T20 tournament for cricketers in India in the future.
Many of the Indian female players trade in the T20 women's leagues around the world and receive accolades for their outstanding performance. Eight Indian female players were part of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia this year, with India's T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur winning the women's best player award in the series.
Harmanpreet scored 399 points and took 15 wickets in the season to win the Player of the Tournament award. Smriti Mandana, Chavali Verma and Jemima Rodriguez also impressed the league with their bravery. As women's cricket continues to rise, Shah has reassured BCCI fans that the T20 league will soon start as a women's IPL.
BCCI is already organizing the Women's T20 Challenge, which is a short tournament held during one season of the IPL. However, there are only two teams in the tournament and it still has to rise to the next level as more players and teams are introduced.
“The women’s T20 challenge has generated a lot of interest from fans and it is an encouraging sign. We all want a league similar to the IWC, but it is not just about getting three or four teams together and announcing the women’s cricket league,” Shah said in an interview with Hindustan Times. Launch of the IPL Women's League.
“Many factors come into play, such as a dedicated window, availability of international stars, bilateral commitments from member boards, to name a few. We are exploring all our options and hosting a similar league for our players. We are working towards the future.”
Shah spoke about how Harmanpreet and Mandana have been very vocal about introducing a league like IPL to female cricketers in the country. He said such tournaments will help the Indian players to improve a lot as they will have the opportunity to walk side by side with some of the best cricketers in the world.
"Players like Smriti Mandana and Harmanpreet Kaur have expressed their views on helping India change the T20 league and the standard of play in India," he added.
“Having a league like IPL will definitely benefit our cricketers as they will have the opportunity to play with global superstars. Apart from Smriti and Harmanpreet, other female cricketers of the Indian team have done well in leagues like The Hundred and WBBL. Deepti Sharma, Jemima Rodriguez, and Cavalli Verma, and Poonam Yadav are highly sought-after athletes and role models in India. Shah said his tenure would definitely help him gain confidence.
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