The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said that the Women’s T20 Challenge will inspire more girls to take up cricket. “As BCCI grows the game of cricket across all formats, one key area of focus has been to grow the women’s game. We hope the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge will inspire more young girls to take up the sport and give parents the confidence that playing cricket is a great career opportunity for their daughters,” Ganguly said.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, “We look forward to seeing the great women’s sports stories that will be shared as a result of this initiative. We want to support and create concrete ways to grow the pipeline of women talent in cricket.” “Our goal with the Women’s T20 Challenge is to build a pathway to a dedicated Women’s’ IPL. Signing an exclusive title sponsor for the Women’s T20 Challenge, is a great testament to the property, allowing it to be self-sustainable,” he added.
Nita Ambani, chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation, said: “My heartiest congratulations to BCCI for organising the Women’s T20 Challenge. This is a progressive step towards the growth of women’s cricket in India. I am delighted to offer my full support for this wonderful initiative.” An extension of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Women’s T20 Challenge will be played between three franchises—Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity led by Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj respectively.
The 2020 edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge to be played in Sharjah from 4 November.