The Women’s T20 challenge usually takes place ahead of the IPL playoffs. It is a tournament that focuses on promoting cricket for women with the idea of inspiring young girls to take to the sport. But this year the women stars could be in for a setback as reports suggest the triangular tournament could be postponed amid the Covid surge in India.
As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) could take this step as foreign players may not be allowed to travel. At the moment, there is nothing official about it.
Earlier, the Australian government canceled all flights from India due to the second wave. Usually, the tournament takes place at a single venue and this year it was slated to happen at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The first women Challengers took place in 2018 when a one-off match was played. In the following years -three teams – Velocity, Supernovas, and Trailblazers – contest in four games, which includes the final. Harmanpreet Kaur to Smriti Mandhana, top India stars take part in the tournament.
Meanwhile, due to the rise in cases in India, some players have opted out of the ongoing IPL. Adam Zampa, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Liam Livingstone have already pulled out of the tournament. The current scenario in India has sent panic among cricketers, but David Warner and other Australian cricketers playing the IPL have said that they will play the entire tournament.
While some reckon the lucrative T20 league should be suspended, BCCI has assured safety to players and has also confirmed that the tournament will go on as per schedule.