The BCCI on Thursday announced the dates for the third edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE. The board said the matches will take place during the final stages of the IPL when the playoffs will begin.
The tournament will feature a total of four matches played between three team from November 4 to 9. The players participating in the T20 challenge would be reaching the UAE by the third week of October.
All the teams will stay in the hotel under the bio-secure bubble for the mandatory quarantine of the players. The women cricketers will also have to serve a mandatory six days of quarantine and undergo COVID-19 tests on days one, three and five.
The players need to test negative for the Coronavirus tests, only then they will be able to start their training sessions.
The board is in the process of finalising the overseas players as well as the Indian players from the domestic pool for the tournament. The board has also appointed new selection panel for the women’s cricket so it is most likely the young Indian cricketers will get preference.
Women’s T20 challenge will fall in between the predefined schedule of the Women’s Big Bash League scheduled to begin from October 25.
So the players already associated with the WBBL franchises might not be able to make it for the T20 challenge. For instance, Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt will be with Melbourne Stars for WBBL 6 and won’t travel to the UAE.
Despite that, the players from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England will be expected to be part of the T20 challenge.
