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Internet Desk: Suffering a major loss at the hands of England in the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup, India captain Mithali Raj said that a time has come to install a female equivalent IPL. However the BCCI thinks at the current moment it is not possible to establish the league.
The board will be willing to provide infrastructure and facilities to help the game grow both at the top level and the grassroots level but organizing a T20 league will be an issue due to budget refrains said a senior BCCI official to CricketNext.
“There is no denying the fact that the women cricketers have made us proud. They deserve all the accolades and definitely this is the time to promote the game in the country and help create a solid foundation for the women’s game to go from strength to strength. But to think of a women’s IPL would be a little far-fetched as it is not financially feasible at present. Also, the current unrest within the BCCI as the board is trying its best to implement the proposals of the Lodha panel at the earliest means that the women’s IPL needs to wait at present.
“There have been a few proposals in the past as well. Current treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry had in fact presented a similar model some time back and it is not like that the BCCI isn’t looking at the possibility. But realistically, it is important to work on the grassroots level and improve the supply line of women cricketers to back the good work done by the likes of Mithali, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur among others,” he clarified.
“The BCCI is not just looking to felicitate the women for the brilliant show in the showpiece event, but also financial backing will be given to ensure that women’s cricket doesn’t hold back. We already have a domestic system in place where we have the age-group tournaments as well as the 3-day games. The infrastructure and facilities need to be further upgraded,” he said.
The Indian skipper Mithali thinks that Harmanpreet and Smriti has gained a lot by playing the BBL and hence the other players will have to wait before they can gain from a home established T20 league.