Women's T20 Challenge To Be Held During IPL Playoffs

The BCCI, on Tuesday, confirmed that three teams will play in this year’s women’s exhibition games. The games will be played during the IPL Play-offs week next month in Jaipur. Last year, only two teams – Supernovas and Trailblazers – had played out a solitary T20 game. The game had finished in a thrilling manner on the very last ball of the match. And the fans could expect more excitement this year as another team – Velocity – will make its debut.

Read More: Watch: Shane Watson Wins Hearts By Walking Off Even Before Umpire Gives His Decision

A total of four games will be played.  The tournament will open with a clash between Supernovas and Trailblazers on May 6. Newcomers Velocity will open their campaign against Supernovas on May 8. Each team will play two matches and top two teams and the top two teams will clash in the final on May 11. All the matches will be standalone games. The BCCI confirmed that big names from India and across the globe will feature in the games.

“The teams will comprise current and future stars of Indian cricket playing alongside a selection of the world’s best players. The combined strength of talent on display will showcase the quality of women’s cricket,” said a BCCI release.

The captain of the three teams are – Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana. According to reports in ESPNcricinfo,  all four games are likely to be telecast live. The BCCI is set to finalise the timings in consultation with the host broadcasters.

Read More: IPL 2019: Andre Russell Will Bat up the Order If Situation Demands – Jacques Kallis

In another big decision, the final of this year’s IPL has also been shifted to Hyderabad from Chennai. According to BCCI guidelines, Chennai had the right to host the Eliminator and Final being the defending champions. However, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s (TNCA) failure to resolve the issue of three stands in the stadium have costed the city big. Hyderabad will now host the much-awaited final on May 12.  Chennai, on the other hand, will now host Qualifier 1 while Vizag will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.