NEW DELHI
\nA full-fledged women\u2019s Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin as early as next year, with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) saying it is working on delivering the tournament \u201csoon\u201d.
\nA three-team Women\u2019s T20 Challenge is staged alongside the men\u2019s IPL, but many believe women deserve their own expanded tournament with more teams and players.
\nThe Women\u2019s T20 Challenge will continue this year, but BCCI secretary Jay Shah said things would change soon.
\n\u201cI want to assure you that BCCI is not only sincere but is taking all necessary steps to start a full-fledged women\u2019s league similar to the IPL soon,\u201d Shah told Reuters in an email.
\n\u201cThe huge interest among fans and players towards the women\u2019s T20 Challenge is an encouraging sign and we are all committed to making it happen.\u201d Read more: Women\u2019s PSL on the cards, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja says
\nThe entire 2020 edition of the league and the second half of last year\u2019s tournament were held in the United Arab Emirates as India grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
\nThis year\u2019s IPL will begin in the last week or March and Shah was confident of staging the 10-team league in India.
\n\u201cThe circumstances were different in the last couple of years, and we managed to keep the show going under difficult circumstances by shifting it to the UAE.
\n\u201cThe BCCI is keeping a close watch on the COVID-19 situation in the country and if it is conducive, we will stage the event in India this year and I am pretty hopeful about that.\u201d
\nThe board would take a \u201cwait and watch approach\u201d on the presence of spectators, depending on COVID-19 guidelines, he said.
\nPCB Chairman Ramiz Raja\u2019s proposal
\nPakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has mooted an annual T20 tournament also featuring India, England and Australia.
\nExpanding the game was more important than such a \u201ccommercial initiative\u201d, Shah said.
\n\u201cWith the IPL window expanding and the ICC (global) events every year in the cycle, our primary responsibility is to safeguard bilateral cricket at home, with emphasis on test cricket,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am also looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpansion of the sport is a challenge that our game faces and we must prioritise it over any short-term commercial initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI A full-fledged women\u2019s Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin as early as next year, with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) saying it is working on delivering the tournament \u201csoon\u201d. A three-team Women\u2019s T20 Challenge is staged alongside the men\u2019s IPL, but many believe women deserve their own expanded tournament with more teams and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-243256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n