BCCI planning to conduct Women's IPL in UAE

Women’s IPL, also called the Challenger series, is likely to be conducted in the UAE alongside the final leg of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said on Sunday.

Ganguly’ statement comes after weeks of speculation that the board did not have any plan in place for the women’s team. 

The men’s IPL will be held between September 19 and November 8 or 10 in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India, as confirmed by IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel.

“I can confirm to you that the women’s IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also,” Ganguly told PTI ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting later on Sunday.

Ganguly did not reveal further details sources close to the development said that the tournament will be conducted during the final phase of the Indian Premier League which is moving to the UAE owing to a widespread COVID-19 pandemic in India.

“The women’s Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that,” the source said.

The former India captain also confirmed that a women’s team camp will be organized soon. “We couldn’t have exposed any of our cricketers - be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous. The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that,” said Ganguly.

It is believed that the board’s cricket operations team is working on a  schedule for Indian women to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and the West Indies ahead of the ODI World Cup in New Zealand.