BCCI to conduct women's red-ball tournament: Presenting the major details
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a domestic red-ball women's competition, which will get underway on March 29 with all the games taking place in Pune. It will be a series of five matches with six teams in contention to lift the title. The matches will span across three days. Here are the major details regarding the tournament.
A look at the format and teams
This much-anticipated event will feature teams representing six zones - East, West, North, South, Central, and NorthEast. The tournament will kick-off with two quarter-finals on March 29 followed by two semi-finals on April 5. The summit match will get underway on April 9. BCCI is yet to disclose the identity of the two teams that are directly placed in the semis.
Four Women's Tests for India since 2021
This tournament is obviously a move to strengthen the Indian Women's Test team. Notably, the team has played four Women's Tests since 2021, two against Australia and as many against England. While both their games in 2021 were drawn, India won two Women's Tests in December 2023. Prior to 2021, India last featured in a Women's Test in 2014.
What are the challenges?
As the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) will conclude on March 17, it will be interesting to see whether the BCCI can successfully encourage the prominent players to participate in the domestic event. Notably, male players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been making headlines lately for missing the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
