Guwahati: The BCCI on Tuesday gave its green signal to the long-awaited women’s Indian Premier League, which most likely will be played in March 2023, immediately after the conclusion of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.
The decision was taken in the board’s 91st Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, where former India all-rounder Roger Binny officially succeeded Sourav Ganguly as the new president. Binny, 67, was elected unopposed alongside Jay Shah, who was re-elected as the secretary for a second successive term.
The other office bearers who were elected unopposed included treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice-president Rajeev Shukla and joint secretary Devajit Lon Saikia. Former treasurer Arun Dhumal will chair the newly formed Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council that also includes Avishek Dalmiya.
The Indian cricket board first organised the women’s T20 Challenge in 2018, when two teams – Trailblazers and Supernovas – played a one-off match ahead of IPL Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium. In the following year, another team – Velocity – was introduced, making it a three-team affair. The BCCI took the third edition to the UAE owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament saw three teams playing three matches followed by the final.
In 2021, the BCCI called off the tournament as it clashed with India’s tour of Australia, while in 2022, the tournament featuring the three teams returned to action with all their matches played in Pune.
Meanwhile, the BCCI is yet to take a call on Ganguly, who was tipped to be a candidate for the ICC chairman’s position. The last date for filing the nominations for the ICC top job is Thursday (October 20).
The senior men’s Future Tour Programs (FTP) for 2023-2027 and senior women’s FTP for 2022-2025 were also approved by the General Body during the meet.
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