Women's T20 Challenge

The Women's T20 Challenge, also known as the Women's IPL, is an annual Indian women's Twenty20 cricket tournament that has been held since 2018. In March 2022, BCCI announced that a franchise-based annual T20 tournament for women cricketers will be started from 2023. The tournament will contain six teams and will be referred as Women's IPL instead of Women's T20 Challenge.[1]

Women's T20 Challenge
Countries India
AdministratorBCCI
FormatWomen's T20
First edition2018
Latest edition2020
Tournament formatRound-robin and final
Number of teams3
Current championIPL Trailblazers (1st title)
Most successfulIPL Supernovas (2 titles)

Background

The idea for a women's version of the Indian Premier League was suggested after the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, where the India women's national cricket team finished second.[2] The tournament was first introduced in 2018, as a single match held in Mumbai prior to one of the men's matches. The match featured teams named IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas.[3][4] In 2019, the Women's T20 Challenge was expanded to a three team tournament instead of a one-off match, with a new team called IPL Velocity competing along with the IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas,[5][6] in a round-robin format with the top two teams progressing to the final.[2] The 2020 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, alongside the rearranged men's IPL.[7]

In November 2020, Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly suggested an expansion of the Women's T20 Challenge to 7 or 8 teams in 2022.[8] There were suggestions of adding a fourth team for the 2021 season,[9] but this was decided against due to the ongoing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] The 2021 event was postponed along with the men's IPL, with no indication of a date for the women's event being played.[7] It was not held at the same time as the rearranged men's event, as the dates clashed with India women's tour of Australia. The 2022 event is scheduled for May 2022, to coincide with the playoffs of the men's IPL.[11]

BCCI is planning to start the women's IPL by 2023, with five or six teams in the inaugural edition. All the existing 10 men's IPL franchises will be given the first right of refusal to buy the women's IPL teams.[12]

Tournament results

In the inaugural edition, IPL Supernovas won the match by 3 wickets in a last over thriller.[13][14] IPL Supernovas beat IPL Velocity by 4 wickets in the second edition and retained their title.[15][16] In 2020, IPL Trailblazers beat IPL Supernovas by 16 runs in the third edition and won their maiden title.[17][18]

Season Final Final venue
Winner Result Runner-up
2018
Details		 IPL Supernovas
130/7 (20 overs)		 IPL Supernovas won by 3 wickets IPL Trailblazers
129/6 (20 overs)		 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
2019
Details		 IPL Supernovas
125/6 (20 overs)		 IPL Supernovas won by 4 wickets IPL Velocity
121/6 (20 overs)		 Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
2020
Details		 IPL Trailblazers
118/8 (20 overs)		 IPL Trailblazers won by 16 runs IPL Supernovas
102/7 (20 overs)		 Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
2021 Not held
2022
Details		 TBD BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

See also

References
  1. "BCCI proposes six-team women's IPL from next year". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  2. "Women's IPL 2020: The origins of the Women's T20 Challenge". Sportskeeda. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. "Women Cricketers Excited Ahead of Historic IPL Exhibition Match". News18. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  4. NDTVSports.com. "IPL 2018: Women's T20 Challenge Match To Be Played Before Qualifier 1 In Mumbai – NDTV Sports". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  5. Cricbuzz. "BCCI confirms three-team Women's T20 challenge". Cricbuzz.com. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  6. "Women's T20 Challenge a step towards an IPL for Harmanpreet, Mandhana and Co". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. "Women's T20 Challenge: Top 5 individual performances". Sportskeeda. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  8. "IPL 2021 in India, 7-8 team women's league in 2022: Sourav Ganguly". DNA India. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  9. "Women's T20 Challenge likely in Delhi, decision on fourth team soon". The New Indian Express. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. "IPL 2021: Why Women's IPL is still a distant dream?". The Bridge. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  11. "Women's T20 Challenge to be held in May 2022, confirms Sourav Ganguly". Female Cricket. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  12. "BCCI plans to start women's IPL by 2023; Women's T20 Challenge returns this season". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  13. "2018 Women's T20 Challenge one-off match". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  14. "Suzie Bates, Ellyse Perry call the shots in last-ball cliffhanger". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  15. "2019 Women's T20 Challenge Final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  16. "Harmanpreet Kaur 51 sets up Supernovas' last-ball win in final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  17. "Smriti Mandhana 68, Salma Khatun three-for lead Trailblazers to 2020 Women's T20 Challenge title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  18. "Mandhana, spinners clinch maiden title for Trailblazers". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
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