Sourav Ganguly feels India needs more players before a seven-team women's IPL

What's the story?

BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly has spoken about the possibilities of a seven-team women’s IPL in the coming years. As per Ganguly, there are too few players to conduct such a big tournament but he stayed optimistic about the future and said that a bigger women’s IPL can happen in four years’ time.

The background

Indian Women’s Cricket Team has been on the rise in the last few years. Players like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Veda Krishnamurthy, and Smriti Mandhana have set an example for the upcoming female talent. BCCI had conducted an exhibition three-team women’s tourney during the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. The matches received a fantastic response as the fans welcomed the board’s move.

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The heart of the matter

During his interview with India Today, Ganguly urged the fans to understand the practical situation as India does not have too many women’s cricketers. He said,

“You need to understand the practicality of it, You need a lot more women players. I see that in four years’ time, to get a seven-team IPL with the best women players [in participation].”

When asked about the steps that the board needs to take in order to improve the situation, the BCCI President replied:

“You have to let the state association teams get stronger, a lot of them are getting stronger. “The push for women’s cricket has been enormous over the last few years. Three years down the line, when you have 150-160 players, you can take the IPL forward. Right now, we have 50-60 players. With the push BCCI has for women’s cricket, that will only increase.”

What’s next?

It will be interesting to see if the Women’s T20 Challenge continues in 2020. Besides, a seven-team women’s tourney will help in raising the brand value of the IPL.