Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council will be discussing along with the BCCI board members and the committee of administrators (COA) a lot of issues regarding the upcoming IPL season which is now less than 39 days away.
One of that issue is the possibility of some women”s exhibition T20 games during the men”s playoffs round of the IPL. A move as another advertisement of women”s cricket in the country.
These games that could coincide with those big playoff men”s games will, in that case, happen in Mumbai and Pune. Two grounds that are likely to be full for the playoff a round of the IPL.
Ever since there has been an upswing of women”s cricket in the country with the Indian women”s team reaching the world cup final last year and rise in stature of some of the stalwarts of India”s women”s cricket among the public there has been talks of having a women”s IPL.
“If we find that we can host a few exhibition matches then BCCI would like to do it this year. The women cricketers deserve to play IPL,” Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai told TOI.
To which the BCCI has said in the past that they want to develop the women”s game in the country a lot more before introducing any such league. Eventually, that should be the aim though, a women”s IPL can be a game changer for cricket in the country just like eleven years back the men”s version was.
Keeping in line with that there has been more international games than before as well as the “A” team tours by BCCI for the Indian team.
The domestic cricket as well is stronger than ever before for women”s cricket with a lot of talent coming through. The facilities as well have grown immensely and the credit obviously goes to the board and more importantly the women”s cricketers of the country in attracting themselves as an important cog in Indian Cricket”s wheels.
These women”s exhibition matches we hope, are confirmed and lay the foundation of a women”s IPL.