BCCI cops flak for scheduling T20 Challenge in UAE during Women's Big Bash League
CHENNAI: Sourav Ganguly, the batsman, was the last word on timing. But the BCCI he is heading as president is not getting the timing right.
Over the last fortnight, Ganguly had been copping criticism on what is happening on the women's team front. First came the news that BCCI has cancelled their limited-over tour of England citing the pandemic. When, on the same day, it was announced that the IPL will be held in the UAE, the BCCI received plenty of bad press. If the decision was questionable, the timing of the announcement seemed all wrong.
On Sunday, Ganguly revealed the Women's T20 Challenge will be held in the UAE alongside the IPL between November 1-10, involving three teams. While it definitely got some PR lift on social media platforms, the timing of the tournament received thumbs down worldwide.
The said dates clash with the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), which is scheduled in Australia from October 17 to November 29. And if they were to choose between WBBL or T20 Challenge, the answer BCCI would receive from players worldwide would be in favour of the former, just like how everyone in the men's circuit would choose between IPL and PSL (with due respect).
While a number of women's cricketers in India including Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami welcomed the BCCI move, Australia cricketer Alyssa Healy, in a series of tweets, criticised the decision. "So during the WBBL.... cool," she said sarcastically. "The IPL doesn't need the marquee players. It's already large. The women's format however does. The WBBL and BBL don't run simultaneously so why do the IPL and WIPL have to?" questioned Healy.
Healy's Australia teammate Rachael Haynes and New Zealand's Suzie Bates called the decision a "shame" while England's Charlotte Edwards called for separate windows for a women's T20 league in India, WBBL and The Hundred played in England.
Although Mithali, Jhulan and Poonam Yadav (none have WBBL contracts) welcomed the decision, the silence on the part of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues — who were in line to feature in the WBBL — should ring a bell to Ganguly and the BCCI. How the WBBL played a huge role in the development of Smriti and Harmanpreet is there for all to see and a T20 Challenger sans the best players is hardly the lift women's cricket needs. All top players from Australia and England are ruled out because they would be playing the WBBL. At best, the BCCI can attract a few South Africans who don't have WBBL contracts.
The New Indian Express understands that Indian players are yet to sign WBBL contracts. And they won't be doing it now, given that Ganguly has said there will be a camp for the women's team and a series against South Africa at home before the T20 Challenger.
Women's cricket, which is still growing, can't afford dates clashing. Many in the BCCI also believe this is a decision taken in haste. The sad part is, there is nobody to point out this is wrong. To sum it up, let Healy have the final say. "Let me say what I've been avoiding: Sooooo dumb," read one of her tweets.