Does a Women’s IPL alongside Men’s IPL make sense?
The BCCI’s move of scheduling a three-team Women’s T20 Challenge during the playoffs stage of IPL 2020 scheduled in UAE, is welcomed by many. For the very first time after women cricketers featured in the celebrated and historic World Cup final at the MCG earlier this year, they will be back to resume action on a cricket field.
BCCI’s intentions were already manifested as president Sourav Ganguly stated the women’s IPL to be “very much on”. It is understood that with the match-dates yet to be finalized, the decision regarding the participating teams is pending, and without a national selection panel to set up the teams; the entire plan is still work in progress.
On expected lines, the format of the tournament has been kept unchanged. The second season, much similar to the model followed last year, will consist of four games; all expected to be held in the last week of the men’s IPL. However, the T20 challenge, should it be organized in the aforementioned window, will clash with Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) which is scheduled from 17th October to 29th November.
Issues galore
While the move of scheduling a women’s IPL and giving due recognition to Women’s cricket is commendable and thoughtful, it is hard to decipher the reason why the schedules have been drawn in a way to leave the players to choose between two prominent and premium short-format leagues.
Additionally, the IPL is known for outstanding television numbers and attention throughout its duration, hence scheduling the women’s game towards the start of the edition in September would have been an idea far better than to stick it with the decisive stage of the men’s game- playoffs.
The game of cricket has belonged to the men for ages, and initiatives like Women’s IPL will only take the stature of women’s cricket higher. To give the women a platform parallel to the men’s IPL is a brilliant way to highlight women’s cricket as a product as valuable and as worthy as the men’s game.
However, to reduce a tournament designed to meet such purposes as just an opening act to the men’s Playoffs is beyond comprehension and might prove detrimental to the larger mission of serving the women’s game. Women’s cricket has done everything to deserve a new window for an individual and independent tournament, let alone a tussle for a proper window for playing matches.
What did they say?
With such news coming on the way, the views and opinions of many cricketers were divided. Australia wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy was among the leading names to express her dissatisfaction over BCCI’s call. “So during the WBBL…. cool”, wrote Healy in a sarcastic tone on Twitter.
“The IPL doesn’t need the marquee players. It’s already large. The women’s format however does. The WBBL and BBL don’t run simultaneously so why do the IPL and WIPL have to?” asked Healy. Supporting Healy, Suzie Bates stated “What a huge shame for both the WBBL and WIPL competitions there is a clash.”
However, senior Indian cricketers Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami defended the BCCI’s decision.
