The Women’s T20 Challenge will get underway on May 23 with the first match between the defending champions Trailblazers and the Supernovas. The tournament, which was first played in 2018 only as a one-off match between two teams, expanded to three teams and four games including the final 2019 onwards. Trailblazers and the Supernovas were the first two teams to be made, while Velocity was added in 2019.
So far, three seasons of the Women’s T20 Challenge have been played – 2018, 2019 and 2020. The 2021 edition was scrapped due to Covid19. In the 2020 edition, the tournament was moved to the UAE along with the men’s IPL. All four matches were played in Sharjah with Trailblazers lifting their first trophy after defeating Supernovas in the final. The purpose behind starting the tournament was to promote women’s cricket in India and to also help the players get more competitive games under their belt.
This year, all the four matches will be played at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Each team has a squad of 16 players, including four overseas players. The total 12 overseas players taking part in the 2022 Women’s T20 Challenge are Alana King, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Suné Luus, Laura Wolvaardt, Hayley Matthews, Kate Cross, Ayabonga Khaka, Nattakan Chantham, Sophia Dunkley, Sharmin Akter and Salma Khatun
Among the big names that will miss this edition of the tournament are Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, both of whom have been rested.
This could also be the last time the tournament is being held, because the BCCI recently proposed the plan of having a full-fledged women’s IPL next year onwards. "We have already started working on the plan as to how many teams we can have and what window is going to suit, because we have the men's IPL as well," a top BCCI official told Sports Tak.
"As of now, we can't share many details but yes, we are really excited for this league. Some franchises have already shown interest and are very keen to be part of this tournament. We are planning to have 6 teams to start with. Our team is working on the auction process and other important aspects of the tournament," the official added.
Squads for the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022
Supernovas: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Taniya Bhatia (vice-captain), Alana King, Ayushi Soni, Chandu V, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Meghna Singh, Monica Patel, Muskan Malik, Pooja Vastrakar, Priya Punia, Rashi Kanojia, Sophie Ecclestone, Suné Luus, Mansi Joshi
Trailblazers: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Poonam Yadav (vice-captain), Arundhati Reddy, Hayley Matthews, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S Meghana Saiqa, Ishaque, Salma Khatun, Sharmin Akhter, Sophia Dunkley, Sujata Mallik, Shradda Pokharkar
Velocity: Deepti Sharma (captain), Sneh Rana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Ayabonga Khaka, Kiran Navgire, Kate Cross, Keerthi James, Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, Natthakan Chantham, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra
Schedule
May 23 - Trailblazers vs Supernovas (7:30 PM IST)
May 24 - Supernovas vs Velocity (3:30 PM IST)
May 26 - Velocity vs Trailblazers (7:30 PM IST)
May 28 - Final (7: 30 PM IST)
