Women’s T20 Challenge To Be Played In Lucknow From May 24-28, Confirms Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has declared that the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 will be played from May 24 to 28. The whole tournament of four matches will be played at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow. Like its previous editions, this year’s tournament will also feature three teams, Trailblazers, Supernovas, and Velocity.

The BCCI president Ganguly told correspondents after an apex council meeting as per PTI, “The Women’s Challenge series will be held between May 24-28 at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.”

The last edition was played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, UAE, amidst the COVID-19 scare in India, during men’s IPL playoffs. Team Trailblazers, led by the Indian opener Smriti Mandhana seemed to be the best in the tournament, as they won the tournament, putting on several exceptional performances.

Supernovas left-arm orthodox bowler and the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Radha Yadav was awarded the ‘Player of the Series,’ as she took 8 wickets in 3 innings, at the economy of 5.91. While, Trailblazers left-hand batter Chamari Athapaththu was the highest run-scorer with 117 runs in the tournament, at a strike rate of 121.87, with a half-century.

Reviewing the final, Trailblazers faced Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas in the decider. With the help of skipper Smriti Mandhana’s 68 runs off 49 deliveries, Trailblazers set a reachable target of 119, as Supernovas left-arm orthodox bowler Radha Yadav spilled Trailblazers batting order with her amazing spell of 5/16 (4 overs).

On the other hand, Supernovas’ batting line-up fell apart against Trailblazers bowlers, Salma Khatun and Deepti Sharma. With skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scoring 30 (36), Supernovas could manage to score only 102/7, in 20 overs. Trailblazers won the match by 16 runs and won their maiden title. Trailblazers skipper Mandhana was declared as the ‘Player of the Match,’ for her contribution. The tournament again drew a huge fan following to the women’s cricket.

Besides, the Women’s T20 Challenge 2020 missed many overseas players as the tournament clashed with Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League. But this year’s tournament may again feature overseas players with a lot more action on the field. Moreover, this could be the last edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge with three teams, as the franchise-based Women’s IPL featuring six teams is on board. 

Written By Prachi Pisal