Full-fledged women's IPL will start soon, says Jay Shah

02/07/2022

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah has stated that the nation's cricket governing body is about to come up with a full-fledged women's IPL soon. Shah further added that he is looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow.

The IPL 2022 will be an exciting season with 10 teams competing with each other for the coveted trophy. Ahead of the upcoming edition of the IPL, a mega auction is scheduled on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. However, fans and experts have started raising their voices for conducting Women's IPL in India.

The Women's T20 Challenge, which includes three teams, is being conducted every year since 2018 alongside the men's IPL tournament. Recently, former England captain Michael Vaughan took it to his Twitter handle and told BCCI president Sourav Ganguly that the women's IPL should be a top priority now. Responding to a query in an interview with PTI, Ganguly had earlier stated that the women's IPL is certainly going to happen, and 2023 will be a very good time to start the competition.

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has stated that the governing body is taking all necessary steps to start a full-fledged women's league similar to the IPL soon.

"I want to assure you that BCCI is not only sincere but is taking all necessary steps to start a full-fledged women's league similar to the IPL soon," Shah told Reuters in an email.

"The huge interest among fans and players towards the women's T20 Challenge is an encouraging sign and we are all committed to making it happen," he added.

Shah reckoned that he is confident of hosting the 15th edition of the IPL in India.

"The circumstances were different in the last couple of years, and we managed to keep the show going under difficult circumstances by shifting it to the UAE.

"The BCCI is keeping a close watch on the COVID-19 situation in the country and if it is conducive, we will stage the event in India this year and I am pretty hopeful about that," Shah said.

Recently, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja proposed an annual T20 tournament featuring India, Pakistan, England and Australia. However, Jay Shah has played down the chances of India featuring in the tournament and stated that the governing body's responsibility is to safeguard bilateral cricket at home, with emphasis on test cricket. The BCCI secretary further added that he is looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow.

"With the IPL window expanding and the ICC (global) events every year in the cycle, our primary responsibility is to safeguard bilateral cricket at home, with emphasis on test cricket," he added.

"I am also looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow.

"Expansion of the sport is a challenge that our game faces and we must prioritise it over any short-term commercial initiative," Shah said.