Women's T20 Challenge: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Indian cricket tournament}}

| champions = [[ IPL Supernovas|  IPL Supernovas]] (3rd title)

| most successful = [[IPL Supernovas|IPL Supernovas]] (3 titles)

| most runs           =[[Harmanpreet Kaur]] (362)

| most wickets         =[[Radha Yadav]] (12)

| TV =[[Star Sports (Indian TV network)|Star Sports]]

| website ={{url| https://www.iplt20.com/matches/results/women/2022   |Official Site}}

The '''Women's T20 Challenge''' is an Indian [[women's cricket]] [[Women's Twenty20|Twenty20]] tournament that has been held since 2018. The tournament features three teams, playing a [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] group followed by a final.

In March 2022, BCCI announced that a franchise-based annual T20 tournament for women cricketers will be started from 2023, replacing the Women's T20 Challenge. The tournament will contain six teams and will be referred as the [[Women's Indian Premier League|Women's IPL]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/121647/bcci-proposes-six-team-womens-ipl-from-next-year|title=BCCI proposes six-team women's IPL from next year|work=Cricbuzz|access-date=26 March 2022|language=en}}</ref>

==Background==

The idea for a women's version of the [[Indian Premier League]] was suggested after the [[2017 Women's Cricket World Cup]], where the [[India women's national cricket team]] finished second.<ref name=SK>{{cite web| url= https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/women-s-ipl-2020-the-origins-women-s-t20-challenge| title= Women's IPL 2020: The origins of the Women's T20 Challenge| publisher=[[Sportskeeda]]| date=2 November 2020| access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> The tournament was first introduced in [[2018 Women's T20 Challenge|2018]], as a single match held in Mumbai prior to one of the men's matches. The match featured teams named [[IPL Trailblazers]] and [[IPL Supernovas]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/women-cricketers-excited-ahead-of-historic-ipl-exhibition-match-1755435.html|title=Women Cricketers Excited Ahead of Historic IPL Exhibition Match|date=2018-05-21|work=News18|access-date=3 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/ipl-2018-womens-t20-challenge-match-to-be-played-before-qualifier-1-in-mumbai-1852567|title=IPL 2018: Women's T20 Challenge Match To Be Played Before Qualifier 1 In Mumbai – NDTV Sports|last=NDTVSports.com|work=NDTVSports.com|access-date=3 January 2020|language=en}}</ref> In [[2019 Women's T20 Challenge|2019]], the Women's T20 Challenge was expanded to a three team tournament instead of a one-off match, with a new team called [[IPL Velocity]] competing along with the IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/107679/bcci-confirms-three-team-womens-t20-challenge|title=BCCI confirms three-team Women's T20 challenge|last=Cricbuzz|work=Cricbuzz.com|access-date=3 January 2020|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/26677961/women-t20-challenge-step-towards-ipl-harmanpreet-mandhana-co |title=Women's T20 Challenge a step towards an IPL for Harmanpreet, Mandhana and Co |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref> in a [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] format with the top two teams progressing to the final.<ref name=SK/> The [[2020 Women's T20 Challenge|2020 event]] was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and held in [[Sharjah]], United Arab Emirates, alongside the rearranged men's IPL.<ref name=SK21>{{cite news| url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/top-5-individual-performances-women-s-t20-challenge| title=Women’s T20 Challenge: Top 5 individual performances | work=[[Sportskeeda]]| date=19 June 2021| accessdate=24 June 2021}}</ref>

In November 2020, [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]] president [[Sourav Ganguly]] suggested an expansion of the Women's T20 Challenge to 7 or 8 teams in 2022.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.dnaindia.com/ipl/report-ipl-2021-in-india-7-8-team-women-s-league-in-2022-sourav-ganguly-2855198| title=IPL 2021 in India, 7-8 team women's league in 2022: Sourav Ganguly| work=[[DNA India]]| date=8 November 2020| accessdate=11 March 2021}}</ref> There were suggestions of adding a fourth team for the 2021 season,<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2021/apr/05/womens-t20-challengelikely-in-delhi-decision-on-fourth-team-soon-2285921.html| title=Women's T20 Challenge likely in Delhi, decision on fourth team soon| work=[[The New Indian Express]]| date=5 April 2021| accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> but this was decided against due to the ongoing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://thebridge.in/ipl-2021/ipl-2021-womens-t20-challenge-wipl-20705| title=IPL 2021: Why Women's IPL is still a distant dream?| publisher=The Bridge| date=11 April 2021| accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> The 2021 event was postponed along with the men's IPL, with no indication of a date for the women's event being played.<ref name=SK21/> It was not held at the same time as the rearranged men's event, as the dates clashed with [[India women's cricket team in Australia in 2021–22|India women's tour of Australia]]. The [[2022 Women's T20 Challenge|2022 event]] is scheduled for May 2022, to coincide with the playoffs of the men's IPL.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://femalecricket.com/women-cricket-news/21578-womens-t20-challenge-to-be-held-in-may-2022-confirms-sourav-ganguly.html| title=Women's T20 Challenge to be held in May 2022, confirms Sourav Ganguly| publisher=Female Cricket| date=3 February 2022| accessdate=24 February 2022}}</ref>

BCCI is planning to start the women's IPL by 2023, with five or six teams in the inaugural edition. All the existing 10 men's IPL franchises will be given the first right of refusal to buy the women's IPL teams.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BCCI plans to start women's IPL by 2023; Women's T20 Challenge returns this season |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/bcci-plans-to-start-women-s-ipl-by-2023-women-s-t20-challenge-returns-this-season-1307337 |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[2018 Women's T20 Challenge|inaugural edition]], IPL Supernovas won the match by 3 wickets in a last over thriller.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18714/scorecard/1146789 |title=2018 Women's T20 Challenge one-off match |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/692620|title=Suzie Bates, Ellyse Perry call the shots in last-ball cliffhanger |work=International  Cricket Council |access-date=3 January 2020|language=en}}</ref>  IPL Supernovas beat IPL Velocity by 4 wickets in the second edition and retained their title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/1181892/game/1181896 |title=2019 Women's T20 Challenge Final |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=3 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/19201/report/1181896/supernovas-vs-velocity-final-womens-t20-challenge |title=Harmanpreet Kaur 51 sets up Supernovas' last-ball win in final |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref> In [[2020 Women's T20 Challenge|2020]], IPL Trailblazers beat IPL Supernovas by 16 runs in the third edition and won their maiden title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/19201/report/1235589/trailblazers-vs-supernovas-final-womens-t20-challenge |title=Smriti Mandhana 68, Salma Khatun three-for lead Trailblazers to 2020 Women's T20 Challenge title |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=10 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/114850/smriti-mandhana-spinners-clinch-maiden-title-for-trailblazers-supernovas-womens-t20-challenge-cricket |title=Mandhana, spinners clinch maiden title for Trailblazers |work=Cricbuzz |access-date=10 November 2020}}</ref>

==See also==