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.Also Read - Sourav Ganguly admitted hospital after testing positive for COVID-19
Life changing movement: Mumbai cricketer Simran Shaikh on Sunday became the most expensive player at the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction 2025, as Gujarat Giants acquired her for Rs 1.90 crore, while veteran Indian player Sneh Rana went unsold in Bengaluru.After Kashvee Gautam, who earned Rs 2cr from the Gujarat Giants previous season, Simran is currently the second-highest paid uncapped player. However, if her father had listened to the doubters, Simran's cricket career might have been cut short. Simran Shaikh said "Being poor and from a Muslim family, playing cricket wasn't an easy decision. My father was told, "Jahid, kya kar raha hai tu" (What are you doing?). She needs to learn how to do home chores, or ghar ka kaam. She won't succeed in sports. However, my dad didn't ask me to quit playing. Simran Shaikh remarked, "The same people have come to congratulate our family today."Jahid and his spouse, Akhtari Bano, found it difficult to make ends meet on the wages of a wireman. With three brothers and four sisters, Simran is the third of eight children. Simran had instructed her father to improve the family's lot by using the large paycheck."Gali-kuchar mein nikal diya zindagi bhar yah. Rahe zhopde mein. In the slum, we have always lived close to little streets with exposed gutters. Our family consists of eleven members who share two rooms. We will now live a respectable life and purchase a nice home with this money. Jahid told this newspaper, "Thank God I didn't follow my friends' advice to discourage Simran from playing cricket.In a bidding competition that took place between Giants and Delhi Capitals, the Giants ultimately triumphed with the successful bid, incorporating a batter with outstanding power into their roster.Gujarat Giants coach Michael Klinger acknowledged that they aimed to acquire Simran and Dottin, who is rejoining the franchise for the 2025 edition, and successfully secured both players. He disclosed that the management was monitoring the domestic tournaments in India closely, and Simran's capability for power hitting and tendency to hit sixes immediately when batting lower in the order is exactly what the team seeks for the upcoming season.In the just finished Senior Women's T20 Trophy, Simran scored 176 runs in 11 games, with a best of 47.Also Read: Mandhana Shatters Records 1st Woman to Hit 4 Centuries in a Year
