Women's T20 Challenge enters into a new era amid growing fanfare

A couple of days back, when the squads for the Women's T20 Challenge were announced, the fans were taken aback by the exclusion of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. 

While there is no official update on the same, there were certain reports doing the rounds of the duo being rested by the selectors in order to unearth new players who emerged from the domestic tournament conducted a month prior to this extravaganza. 

After heartbreak in the final league match of the World Cup against the Proteas, the message seems to be clear from the team management on the way ahead, and the squads for the T20 Challenge are just snippets of things to follow in the women's arena.  

It is hard to imagine a women's game set to take place in the country without the stalwarts of the sport. However, with an eye on the world events set to take place in the coming years, Indian women's cricket is stepping into a new era, starting with this three-team tournament.

Ever since the Women in Blue showcased their skills and reached the summit clash at the Home of Cricket in 2017, the fanbase and the following for the sport and the players grew leaps and bound. 

Five years since that iconic event, there have been calls from various cricketing pundits for the inception of the full-fledged Women's IPL. While the BCCI organized a one-off exhibition match in 2018 with the Trailblazers and the Supernovas showcasing their skills at the Wankhede Stadium. 

With the growing popularity, they added another team, Velocity, in the following year and have managed to host three seasons of this high-voltage tournament. 

While the competition is returning after a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, it promises to be an exciting contest with 12 overseas players and 36 top players from the domestic circuit who will lock horns in a round-robin format with the top two teams competing in the final. 

In the lead up to the T20 Challenge, IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel shared insights on the plans for the Women's IPL and the way ahead for women's players in the country. 

"The return of the Women’s T20 Challenge and with interest being generated around the tournament, we are well on our way to solidifying the pathway to a dedicated Women’s IPL and continue to grow participation of women in the sport," Patel said in an official release.

After 70 riveting games filled with ebbs and flows in the ongoing IPL, it is time to celebrate the women's players as the Supernovas and Trailblazers set foot for the inaugural game on Monday, May 23, at the MCA Stadium in Pune.  

With Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana at the helm, the two sides have an exciting blend of youth and experience to set the stage on fire with their exhilarating skills. 

And here are some of the key talking points that can decide the outcome of the competition. 

Eyes on Deandra Dottin in a batting-heavy Supernova side

Two of the most destructive batters in the international arena, Harmanpreet and Deandra Dottin, will be the mainstays in the batting unit of the Supernovas. 

After being away from the action for a significant part of last year due to injury, Dottin played a crucial role in the Windies World Cup campaign in New Zealand. 

One of the most sought-after players in the shortest format, all eyes will be on Dottin as she takes the centre stage in Pune in what is touted to be a curtain-raiser ahead of the IPL next season. 

While it will not be an easy affair with quality of bowling in the opposition camp with Poonam Yadav and her national teammate, Hayley Matthews, she is bound to light up the competition once she gets her eye in. 

The Trailblazers will rely on their skipper Smriti Mandhana to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility of the side, along with Jemimah Rodrigues, who will be keen to bounce back after missing out on a place in the World Cup team. 

Deepti Sharma's introduction to captaincy

While the two teams will be in action on the first day, the third team, Velocity, will have Deepti Sharma as their skipper and will start their campaign with an afternoon encounter against the Supernovas. 

Well, such has been the scheduling of the tournament that the Harmanpreet-led side will play their next game in less than 24 hours in the scorching heat. 

Mithali Raj was at the helm of affairs for Velocity ever since its inception. However, with the veteran batter not featuring in the tournament, the selectors have opted to name Deepti as the captain. 

While she has graduated from leading age-group cricket to the senior team of Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, this will be her first stint of leading the side at the highest level. 

With the stakes rocketing sky-high, the focus will be on Deepti in the two league matches, and it will be interesting to see her tactics in the coming week. 

While she can bank on the experience of Sneh Rana in terms of leadership, Velocity boast of a fairly young side with not much exposure to top-flight cricket and it could be an area of concern for them. 

Squads:

Supernovas: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Taniya Bhatia, Alana King, Ayushi Soni, Chandu V, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Meghna Singh, Monica Patel, Muskan Malik, Pooja Vastrakar, Priya Punia, Rashi Kanojia, Sophie Ecclestone, Sune Luus, Mansi Joshi

Trailblazers: Smriti Mandhana (C), Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Hayley Matthews, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S Meghana, Saiqa Ishaque, Salma Khatun, Sharmin Akhter, Sophia Dunkley Brown, Sujata Mallik, Shraddha Pokharkar.

Velocity: Deepti Sharma (C), Sneh Rana, Shafali Verma, Ayabonga Khaka, KP Navgire, Kathryn Cross, Keerthi James, Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, Natthakan Chantam, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra