Playing in The Hundred will help Harmanpreet & Co. fare better in the World Cup, says Arun Dhumal

06/11/2021

BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal revealed that the board allowed Women’s cricketers to partake in The Hundred in order to gain exposure, and added that the experience will come in handy during the World Cup. Dhumal further was hopeful of staging the Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE, alongside IPL 2021.

The BCCI have barred active Men’s cricketers from participating in overseas T20 Leagues to protect IPL’s exclusivity, but there are no such restrictions for the Women. In the past, a host of Indian women cricketers have played in both the Women’s Big Bash League and the Kia Super League, and now, five cricketers - Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues - have signed deals to feature in the inaugural edition of The Hundred.

Playing in overseas leagues, in general, will help players elevate their individual game to the next level, but BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal is of the opinion that more players getting exposed to foreign leagues could benefit the team as a whole. Dhumal said that the BCCI encouraged more players to partake in The Hundred to ‘get exposure in England’, and asserted that the experience could very well benefit the side in the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand next year.

"The idea is for them to get exposure in England," BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters.

"Some of our boys have played county cricket, and that has given them a great opportunity and exposure. We want to take women cricket forward similarly. These experiences will definitely come in handy in the World Cup next year."

There is no equivalent of The Hundred or WBBL in India, but, since 2018, the Women’s T20 challenge, comprising three teams, has been a regular fixture in the calendar, alongside the IPL. The tournament was initially shelved for 2021 owing to logistical challenges, but Dhumal claimed that the BCCI are hopeful of finding a window for the competition in the UAE, at the same time as IPL 2021.

"We're trying to figure out if that can be played with the UAE leg of the IPL," Dhumal said.

"Hopefully we'll get a window. We'll have to see venue availability as well."