Prospect of 6-team Women's IPL in 2023 excites Indian cricket fans and pundits

In a meeting on Friday, the IPL Apex Council decided three teams will be playing a women's T20 Challenge in Pune in May.

In what is expected to excite the Indian cricketing eves, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is expected to stage a full-fledged Women's Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from 2023.

In its meeting on Friday, the IPL Governing Council proposed a full-fledged tournament involving Indian and overseas players. "It has to be approved by the AGM. We plan to start it by next year hopefully," said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

Brijesh Patel, the GC chairman, too confirmed the development. "The process is on," Patel said, adding that this year, a three-team women's T20 Challenge will be held in Pune in May, during the playoffs.

"There will be four matches involving three teams this year around the time of the IPL playoffs," Patel said. According to reports, current IPL franchises will be given the first call to pick teams.

Several cricketers in the past have backed the idea of conducting the T20 league for women, and the tournament is likely to be a 6-team event. The BCCI will conduct exhibition matches this year in Pune after last year's plans were dumped owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Board had conducted one match in 2018, while four matches were played in 2019 and 2020.

Indian women cricketers have been part of Cricket Australia's (CA) Women's Big Bash League and ECB's The Hundred, and hence the prospect of a Women's IPL will most certainly excite players and fans.

Last year, India's star player Harmanpreet Kaur had backed the idea of a Women's IPL tournament. "I think we have been looking at this for a long time, and I hope, you know, sooner this women's IPL will also start, and we will also invite overseas players over there so that they can also share their experience with our domestic players," Harmanpreet had said.

"I think this is something we are really waiting for, and I hope, you know, this will start. Performance is something that is in our hands, and that's what we have been doing, and the rest of the things are totally dependent on BCCI and the cricket board," she added.

Following this news, cricket fans and pundits took to Twitter to express excitement over the prospect of a Women's IPL, with sports presenter Harsha Bhogle stating, "May nothing come in the way because the time has come. It will revolutionise women's cricket in India and offer an opportunity to so many."

Here's a look at what others have said on the micro-blogging site: