Women's T20 Challenge: Players Asked To Assemble In Mumbai By The 13th Of October

With the IPL 2020 finding success in the UAE, the women’s T20 challenge will also take place at the same venue. The Women’s T20 challenge would be the first instance of competitive cricket for many cricketers since tours and events kept getting postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An unnamed player has labelled playing professional cricket as a challenge, having not played for many months.

The BCCI are yet to announce the teams for the tournament; however, both international and domestic players, including uncapped ones, have received intimation about their selection. The players have to assemble in Mumbai by the 13th of October following which they will serve the quarantine period along with undergoing COVID-19 testing multiple times during that period. The tournament will begin from the 4th and run till the 9th of November with Sharjah likely as the venue for all the games.

The players will most likely leave for the UAE on the 22nd of October and undergo an isolation period for six days like the male cricketers in IPL 2020. A BCCI official told PTI that a WhatsApp group got created for the Women’s T20 Challenge, informing about all the details. A host of U-19 cricketers have also made it to the squads, allowing them exposure. “The players have been informed and a whatsapp group has been created. A few U-19 players have also been picked. It will give them a lot of exposure,”

Women’s T20 challenge: “There will be three to four days before the event starts”

An unnamed player mentioned that they have involved themselves in training; however, it is nothing compared to the team environment; hence, performing would be a challenge. After completing the quarantine period in Dubai and Mumbai, they will only have three to four days before the series starts. Therefore, acclimatising to the conditions and performing accordingly, would be difficult.

“It will be a challenge for sure. We have been training individually but the intensity of a team environment cannot be matched. We will quarantine in Mumbai for more than a week and then another week in Dubai.”There will be three to four days before the event starts. Obviously, it is not going to be easy to perform,” an anonymous cricketer stated as quoted by Hindustan Times.

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