BCCI to organise women’s T20 match ahead of IPL playoffs

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will organise a women’s T20 match before the first Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff match gets underway at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 22.

“There will be an exhibition match before the first playoff game begins,” IPL chairman, Rajeev Shukla, confirmed to Sportstar. The game will begin at 2.30 pm, Shukla confirmed. The teams will be called IPL XI and the BCCI XI.

Earlier, reports suggested the IPL Governing Council had sanctioned the T20 match in which some foreign players will also participate. The game, which will be televised live, could be seen as a dry run for the proposed women’s IPL-style league.

Precursor to women’s IPL

“It (exhibition match) will be on the lines of the IPL. Totally there will be 10 foreign players and 20 Indian players across both teams. The Indian players will be picked by the national selection committee and the game, which will start at 2.30 pm, will be shown live,” Committee of Administrators (CoA) member and former India cricketer Diana Edulji, said.

According to reports, Vinod Rai, who heads the CoA, has said the event will be a precursor to a “women's IPL tournament in a couple of years.”