BCCI yet to appoint selection panel for Women's Challenge in IPL 2020: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently confirmed the dates and venue of the much-awaited Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. Apart from declaring updates about IPL 2020, the Indian board also confirmed that IPL Women’s Challenge will indeed be taking place this year, thus debunking some long-standing rumours about its potential cancellation. Apparently, despite of the announcements, recent reports indicate that the BCCI is yet to hire a selection committee that will select squads of the three participating IPL Women’s Challenge teams.

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BCCI yet to conduct interviews for IPL Women’s Challenge’ selection committee

According to a report in the Indian Express, the BCCI has not been able to conduct any interviews for the selection committee due to the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic. However, they have asked for candidates who have had the experience of playing for India or have retired at least five years ago to apply for the post. The tenure of the previous selection committee of the IPL Women’s Challenge ended in January earlier this year.

The previous selection committee for the IPL Women’s Challenge comprised of Shashi Gupta, Anjali Pendharkar, Lopamudra Banerjee, Sudha Shah and Chairperson Hemlata Kala. The panel used to select about 25 women players, out of which 22 were centrally contracted with the BCCI. The remaining players were selected on the basis of their performance in domestic cricket.

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IPL Women’s Challenge likely to clash with WBBL 2020

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly recently confirmed that the IPL Women’s Challenge is “very much on” and as per the recent announcement, it will be played between November 1 and 10. The reported dates for the IPL Women’s Challenge means that it will be conducted during the playoffs week of the IPL 2020 season. Additionally, it will also run into a collision course with Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League 2020 (WBBL 2020) season. The Indian Express report indicate due to a potential clash between the two T20 tournaments, the Indian players are unlikely to take part in WBBL 2020.

BCCI’s updates on IPL 2020

As per a teleconference meeting on August 2, the BCCI and IPL Governing Council confirmed that both IPL 2020 and IPL Women’s Challenge will be taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year. The decision to shift the tournament out of India was made due to the rising threat posed by the coronavirus disease in the country. The IPL 2020 season is currently on course to be played between September 19 and November 10 across three venues: Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, subject to government approval.

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Image credits: PTI