"This experience will definitely come in handy" - BCCI treasurer on India Women playing the Hundred in England

The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has said that playing the Hundred in England this year will help the Indian women cricketers gain great experience for the future.

According to Dhumal, playing in England will come in handy ahead of the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand next year. This is because the conditions in the United Kingdom are pretty similar to New Zealand.

The BCCI has granted permission to five women cricketers, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues, to take part in the all-new format of the game.

"The idea is for them to get exposure in England," BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters by telephone. "Some of our boys have played county cricket, and that has given them a great opportunity and exposure. We want to take women's cricket forward similarly. This experience will definitely come in handy in the World Cup next year."

The inaugural edition of the 100-ball competition will kick off on July 21 and will see eight teams each participating in the men's and women's competitions.

Trying to figure if Women's T20 Challenge can be played with the UAE leg of the IPL: BCCI treasurer

The BCCI treasurer also spoke about the plans for hosting this year's edition of the Women's T20 Challenge. After a successful run in the last three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has cast uncertainty about the tournament being staged.

Arun Dhumal said that the BCCI is considering hosting the women's T20 tournament along with the upcoming leg of IPL in the UAE.

"We're trying to figure out if that can be played with the UAE leg of the IPL," said Dhumal. "Hopefully, we'll get a window. We'll have to look at venue availability as well."

The BCCI earlier announced that the remaining games of IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE. It has been confirmed that the tournament will be played between September 19 and October 15 this year, just ahead of the T20 World Cup.