Knock-knock! When can we have Women’s IPL?

India is always considered as one of the greatest cricket playing nations in the world, as the game is played quite extensively all over the country. Though the game is mainly played by men in India, the Indian women are also playing the game for quite some time now. The Women's Cricket in India started its journey several years back, during the 1950s. Since then women’s cricket have been recognized as one of the popular sports for women in India.

If you look back in time, you will know that the first cricket World Cup was played by women in 1973 which was followed a couple of years later by the men’s cricket World Cup in 1975. Not only the World Cups, but women in the cricket playing nations play Test, ODI and T20 just like their male counterparts.

The advent of IPL (Indian Premiere League) in 2008 in India set the wheels of cricket popularity rolling not only in India but all over the world. Big cricketing guns from different parts of the globe descend to this cricket crazy nation for close to two months to play this all exciting tournament. IPL not only acts as a platform for the young and budding cricketers to showcase their talent in front of the world but also gives all the cricket lovers to see their favourite players in one team. Is there anything that you will ask for when you have the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers playing together in one team named Royal Challengers Bangalore team? It is truly a treat to watch these players play together in one team. It is also interesting to see when you have your favourite players at loggerheads, say MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

If men’s IPL could create such a buzz, don’t you think that even their female counterparts must be raring to play such a competition? Australia has already taken the first step towards this. Every year in Australia the Big Bash League (BBL) is played in which there are eight teams fiercely competing against each other to win the ultimate trophy. The BBL is similar to India’s IPL. After seeing the success of BBL and IPL, former Australia women's Test captain and Head of Brisbane's Centre of Excellence, Belinda Clark revealed on 19 January 2014 the planning for a women's Big Bash League (WBBL). On 19^thFebruary 2015, Cricket Australia announced that a Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) would commence in season 2015-16. The eight teams that play the WBBL are:

Sr. No.	Team
1	Adelaide Strikers
2	Brisbane Heat
3	Hobart Hurricanes
4	Sydney Thunder
5	Melbourne Renegades
6	Melbourne Stars
7	Perth Scorchers
8	Sydney Sixers

One of the leading Australian players Lisa Sthalekar came out of her retirement to play for Sydney Sixers in the inaugural season of WBBL. Sthalekar, 36, retired in 2013 as one of Australia's most accomplished women's players of all time, and as the only Australian to have scored 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets in women's one-day internationals. During her 12-year international career, Sthalekar was part of four Australian World Cup-winning squads as well as two Ashes-winning teams.

WBBL not only saw cricketers but also a tennis player playing the game. Former tennis star Ashleigh Barty signed with the Brisbane Heat for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League. Barty, who was 19 then, reached the doubles finals at Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open with partner Casey Dellacqua in 2013 and has competed in the singles at all four grand slams. Barty approached Queensland Cricket earlier this year to enquire about making a switch to cricket and she has since then joined Western Suburbs in the Brisbane Women's Premier Cricket competition.

Apart from the WBBL there is the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Women’s Cricket Super League (WCSL) that was started in 2016. The six teams that participate in this event are:

Sr. No.	Team
1	Southern Vipers
2	Surrey Stars
3	Western Storm
4	Lancashire Thunder
5	Loughborough Lightning
6	Yorkshire Diamonds

The Indian players that have featured in WBBL and WCSL are T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (Sydney Thunder and Lancashire Thunder) and opening bat Smriti Mandhana (Hobart Hurricanes and Western Storm).  

In 2018, BCCI organized one exhibition match between two teams; IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas that were led by Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur respectively. This year during the IPL, it is likely that three women teams led by Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana will play the T20s over a seven to ten day period.  

Though the IPL has been a lucrative affair in men’s cricket, the picture will not be exactly the same as far as women’s cricket is concerned. The essential prerequisites of starting a women’s IPL are getting good bidders/investors, sponsors, broadcasting partners, and ofcourse a solid pool of women cricketers who can compete at the international level.

Though Women’s IPL seems to be a long shot, it is hoped that the WBBL and Women’s Cricket Super League will push the BCCI to come up with the tournament.

Source: InsideSport