BCCI slow in planning women's IPL: Lisa Sthalekar
Former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar believes women's cricket in India is lagging behind amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to her, the lack of matches for Indian women cricketers is a cause of concern. She also stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) "was slow" in conducting the Women's T20 Challenge. Here is more on the same.
'Indian women's cricketers might fall behind', says Sthalekar
Sthalekar said the Indian women's cricketers are uncertain about their next assignment. "I know the pandemic and what the situation is in India. But the fact that Indian contracted players don't know when they are playing next is a massive concern. They are going to fall behind. I feel they are the biggest untapped talent market," she told the reporters.
Sthalekar highlights the quality of cricket
Sthalekar also highlighted the quality of cricket played during the recently-concluded Women's T20 Challenge. India's flagship tournament for women's cricket was organized in the UAE on the sidelines of IPL 2020 (men's) playoffs. Trailblazers lifted their maiden title by beating Supernovas in the final at Sharjah. Notably, the highest total in the tournament was 146/6 by Supernovas, while Velocity's 47 remained the lowest.
'This wasn't the best advertisement for the sport'
"On pitches with pace and bounce we will see decent scores. In the Women's T20 challenge, unfortunately the matches were on low-scoring wickets. Also, the girls had hardly trained and that wasn't the best advertisement for the game," she added.
Sthalekar gives the example of Women's Big Bash League
Explaining the same, Sthalekar gave the example of Women's Big Bash League. "I think BCCI are moving in the right direction but slow in planning a women's IPL and provide enough match practice," reiterated Sthalekar. "The reason why Australian women's cricket is going well is because we have invested in it. Australia are the leaders in creating WBBL, which is in its sixth year."
The Women's Big Bash League commenced in 2015/16
The inaugural season of Women's Big Bash League was played in 2015/16, while Sydney Thunder won the title. Ever since, four more editions have taken place with Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat clinching two titles each. Notably, the 2020 edition of WBBL is underway.
Indian women's cricket team hasn't played after T20 WC
In 2020, the Indian women's cricket team won hearts across the globe as they qualified for their first final of the Women's T20 WC. The attendance of 86,174 at the final (MCG) was the highest-ever for a women's sporting fixture held in Australia. Since losing to hosts Australia, India haven't engaged in any international assignment. Meanwhile, the future tours are still shrouded in mystery.
