BCCI plans to host women's T20 triangulars during IPL playoffs to tackle logistical hassle

Last year, BCCI had hosted a one-off exhibition match in Mumbai, involving two teams led by Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana respectively. However, to give it more significance, the tournament will now be a triangular affair with 14 players each in every squad, Cricbuzz reported. There will be growing addition of foreign players this season as apart from some of the top players, who were involved in the tournament last year, the likes of Dane van Niekerk, Deandra Dottin, Marizanne Kapp and Chamari Atapattu are also likely to be invited to take part in the competition.

However, in a bid to avoid logistical hassles and get the nod of the broadcasters easily, the games will now be played at the same venue as those of the playoffs at 4 pm before the men's games at 8 pm. As per the new format of the tournament, each team will face each other once, and the top two will qualify for the final set to be played in Chennai on May 12.

This was a very difficult and tricky situation for the BCCI to make as last year, the exhibition game resulted in a very bad turn out as only the fans who had bought tickets for IPL 11's Qualifier 1 were allowed entry into the stadium. The situation is expected to be only slightly better this time around but a 4 pm game may not be the most ideal situation to tackle.