Is The BCCI Serious About Women's IPL?

The numbers related to viewership of the first two matches of the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 tell a story in itself of how BCCI has got the timing of hosting the tournament horribly wrong...

- Renin Wilben

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 in the playoff stages, there is a lot of excitement over who will lift the trophy on May 29. With defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and former champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all already knocked out of the tournament, we could have a new champion this year in case the Rajasthan Royals (RR) doesn't reach the final. While the excitement over the final stages of the IPL was understandable, it must also be remembered that the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 (also known as the mini women's IPL) was also underway.

For those who are unaware, the Women T20 Challenge 2022 is a four-game T20 tournament being played between three squads - Supernovas, Velocity, and Trailblazers. The event began on May 23 and ended on May 28, a day before the IPL 2022 final. The fact that many people seem unaware of the existence of such a tournament for women's cricket is sad proof that the female version of the gentleman's sport in India still gets step-motherly treatment. Unlike the men's IPL, there has hardly been any promotion of the women's league, even though quite a few big names from India and overseas are taking part.