BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announces big update regarding women’s IPL, details inside

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announces big update regarding women’s IPL, details inside

Women's IPL

The Board Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a decision to conduct Indian Premier League (Women‘s IPL) for woman cricketers from 2023 at a meeting of Governing Council (GC) on Friday, March 25 in Mumbai. This decision came from the demands to start a full-fledged Women’s IPL.

A three-team game of the Women’s T20 Challenge will be played, most likely in Ahmedabad or in Pune. BCCI has been conducting this challenge since 2018. However, it wasn’t staged last year due to the pandemic when the IPL was shifted to the UAE. But it was held in UAE in 2020. The GC were fortified by the sponsorship in 2020 for the Women’s T20 Challenge when Jio had paid Rs 12 crore for the title rights.

IPL chairman Brijesh Patel said that the four matches with three women teams will be played at the business end of the IPL. After the meeting, Patel said: “There will be four matches involving three teams around the time of the playoffs.”

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BCCI believe that it’s their responsibility to conduct Women’s IPL

Women's IPL
Saurav Ganguly

Cricket Australia and the England Cricket Board conduct the Women’s leagues every year. Even cricketers from India participate in Australia’s Big Bash League and England’s The Hundred. Indian women cricketers have backed the idea of Women’s IPL for them.

The BCCI were criticized for not giving preference to the Women’s team in the past. In the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL, five or six teams are set to participate. Starting the Women’s IPL will need the approval of the AGM (Annual General Meeting). BCCI members have told that it is the responsibility of the board to start the women’s league, irrespective of its financial viability. The present IPL teams will have the first preference to pick their teams.

A GC member told Cricbuzz: “Obviously, running the event alongside the men’s IPL may not be possible. The details will be worked out in the coming days and approval of the AGM will be sought.” And after the GC meeting, BCCI President Saurav Ganguly told the reporters, “It has to be approved by the AGM. We plan to start it by next year hopefully.“

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