Revealed: Why Australian Women Are Not a Part of Women's T20 challenge?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced three teams for the upcoming Women’s T20 Challenge amidst the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Meanwhile, Australian women cricketers were a surprising omission from all the three squads.

Top crop of Australian cricketers -Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt and Beth Mooney all featured in the debut year of the Women’s T20 Challenge. BCCI have extended the tournament adding one more team – Velocity along with Supernovas and Trailblazers. The three-team event will take place between May 6 and 11 in Jaipur.

Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Windies Cricket Team – Squad, Schedule, Where To Watch, Players to Watch

However, as per reports, disagreement between the BCCI and Cricket Australia has played a role in Australia women’s cricketers missing out of the IPL like tournament. A report in ESPNCricinfo states that the heart of the matter is over an ODI series between both the sides as per earlier decision. Australian men’s team were due to tour India for an ODI series in January 2020. But the CA have asked to postpone the tournament to March. Citing reasons behind the decision, CA said that going by the original schedule, it will clash with Big Bash League and as well as depriving them off a series at home.

The two boards have been at loggerheads over email in recent times but have failed to reach a conclusion. As a result, BCCI went ahead and named the three squads keeping out the Australian cricketers. They have included players from England, Windies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand.

Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Pakistan Cricket Team – Squad, Schedule, Where To Watch, Players to Watch

Women’s T20 Challenge Squads

Supernovas squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Anuja Patil, Arundhati Reddy, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Jemimah Rodrigues, Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Mansi Joshi, Natalie Sciver (England), Poonam Yadav, Priya Punia, Radha P Yadav, Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Taniya Bhatia (WK).

Trailblazers squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Bharti Fulmali, Dayalan Hemlatha, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Jasia Akhtar, Jhulan Goswami, R Kalpana (WK), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shakera Selman (West Indies), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), Suzie Bates (New Zealand).

Velocity squad: Mithali Raj (c), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Danielle Wyatt (England), Devika Vaidya, Ekta Bisht, Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Jahanara Alam (Bangladesh), Komal Zhanzad, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sushma Verma (WK), Sushree Dibyadarshini, Veda Krishnamurthy