Women’s IPL vs WBBL: Alyssa Healy, Suzie Bates upset over proposed T20 Challenge series

Hamranpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemima Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma are the potential candidates for the WBBL, but the recent development will deny them the chance of playing in Australia.




After BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed on Sunday that an expanded four-team Women’s T20 Challenger series is in the works, international players have shared their concerns about it.

The women’s Challenger series is likely to be held during the last phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL), i.e; the first week of November this year. However, with the WBBL scheduled from October 17 to November 29, several players from Australia, including Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes reacted sharply to the development.

But the potential schedule of the tournament now means that the Indian players might not be available to play in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia. Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, among other Indian players, welcomed the move.

“So during the WBBL…. cool,” Alyssa Healy, Australia’s wicketkeeper batter, said in a tweet. “So the Indian players who’ve already signed WBBL contracts will do what? And all the international marquee players that will be in Australia for WBBL? Good luck with it.”

“The IPL doesn’t need the marquee players. It’s already large. The women’s format however does. The WBBL and BBL don’t run simultaneously so why does the IPL and WIPL have to?” questioned Healy.

Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemima Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma are the potential candidates for the WBBL, but the recent development will put their participation in the dark.

“If true, it’s a shame,” wrote Rachael Haynes in a tweet. “While the game continues to grow, premier domestic competitions do not need to compete against each other. They can be used to showcase the game and support its development around the world.”

New Zealand’s Suzie Bates also shared her discontentment with the announcement on social media. “What a huge shame for both the WBBL and WIPL competitions there is a clash,” she replied to Healy’s tweet.

England’s Charlotte Edwards, meanwhile, stressed the importance of having a window for all the women’s tournaments.

Meanwhile, renowned Indian cricketers like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, and Poonam Yadav came out in support of the proposed series.

Aside from the T20 Challenge, BCCI is working out a schedule where India Women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year, according to PTI.

? The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App.

Source: Read Full Article