WOMENS T20 CHALLENGE 2019 Building blocks set for a Women's IPL by Purnima Malhotra • Last updated on Jahanara Alam bowled with raw pace and dismissed both [bowled] Nat Sciver and Sophie Devine in the final © BCCI There were lights. There were cameras - 31 of them. And boy, there sure was plenty of (high-quality) action at the 2019 edition of Women's T20 Challenge, in Jaipur. Here are the major takeaways from BCCI's second edition of a trial run towards launching a women's league in India: Lack of depth? Say what? It was poetic justice that when Harmanpreet Kaur collected the winners' trophy and offered to hand it over to her teammates, Radha Yadav put her hand up and held it aloft as shutterbugs clicked away. Barely minutes ago, the 19-year-old had stepped up to finish the job her captain perished attempting with her typical flamboyance. Jemimah Rodrigues, 18, picked up the Player of the Tournament award for taking charge of Supernovas batting at the top. At 20, and with only four international games under her belt, Harleen Deol formed the rock of Trailblazers' star-studded top-order that comprised World No. 1 ranked ODI and T20I batters Smriti Mandhana and Suzie Bates for openers, and a World T20-winning captain Stafanie Taylor at No. 4. Not to forget Shafali Verma. The 15-year-old Haryana batter - probably the biggest find of the tournament - made more heads turn than all of the aforementioned put together. Her shortcomings were found out soon enough, but her fearlessness stood out throughout. After a 31-ball 34 in Velocity's tournament opener, Shafali did not display an iota of apprehension in taking on Lea Tahuhu, amongst the fastest bowlers on the circuit, for a third time after having fetched consecutive boundaries off the Kiwi in the final. She perished in the attempt, against Tahuhu's experience, but gave a peek into the raw talent that lies at the age-group level, waiting to be discovered. The talent is there, in abundance. It just needs to be tapped better. A week of knowledge sharing at its best Smriti Mandhana got a peek into the mind of one of the most astute captains (well, former captain now) on the circuit - Suzie Bates. Jhulan Goswami saw merit in what Bates had to advice, and had no qualms in going for the 20th over instead of her usual 19th at the death. The Indian pacer didn't execute most deliveries according to the plan but still managed to defend 19 off the over, and later confessed to Bates that bowling the final over of a T20 was "one of the best learnings she's had". Sophie Devine spent good part of her time in nets teaching and learning off Mansi Joshi and Arundhati Reddy, apart from, obviously pulling off a few pranks on other teammates. Overawed by her at first, Shafali's got the chance to pick the brains of another one of similar ilk, Danielle Wyatt. Devika Vaidya and Amelia Kerr have already become best of friends exchanging notes on the art of legspin. Sushma Verma, who put Velocity in a position to fight in the final, said she learnt to deal with pressure better sitting in the dugout in the previous game. "I personally liked the approach of foreign players... Two days ago, I was padded up from seventh over I guess and I was waiting for my turn. [Hayley] Matthews, who just got out and walked back into the dug-out [was so calm]. An Indian player would have probably been upset, but Matthews kept talking to me, and I didn't even realise that I am up for batting next. When the last ball of the match was sent down, it struck me again that I was next." Give them a #WIPL already! The old or discarded are not done yet The tournament was as much as chance for youngsters to shine as it was a window of opportunity for the likes of Sushma and Veda Krishnamurthy to showcase they still got what it takes to make it to the Indian team. India wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia was excellent with the gloves for Supernovas, especially in the final with her stumping of Veda, but didn't get any chance to bat. Her predecessor Sushma, with her impressive unbeaten 40 in a pressure-situation final under lights and in front of a nearly packed stadium, seized the opportunity and displayed what little backing and role clarity can do. Veda, who has been in and out of the Indian team since the Australia series last year, displayed exactly the kind of maturity her ODI captain Mithali Raj had demanded of her back in 2018 when the collapse-prone Velocity decided, rather controversially, to abort chase and seek a safe passage to the final. Veda curbed her inner Rohit Sharma in the 53-run partnership Raj to prove she too has it in her to adapt to match situations. Shikha Pandey is far from discarded or over, but her noticeably improved death bowling skills can still give the youngsters a coming through a run for their money. Though the sample size was small, but these four games showcased the best of women's cricket in India in most competitive light, and will therefore breed healthy competition for national side. Think out of the box and find a middle ground There's no denying that in a country of over a billion talents like the Jemimahs and the Shafalis are exceptions, and hence can be fast-tracked. But there are many more who lack the exposure to quality, competitive cricket which, due to several factors, the domestic structure is struggling to provide. Shafali may have the "bas maarna hai" [see ball hit ball] attitude because that's how her father's shaped her batting to be, but years down the line even if one girl coming through the ranks has similar approach because she saw a Shafali do that to world's best at the age of 15 and not back down, the tournament would have served it's purpose of contributing to the evolution of women's game in the country. Leagues like this, the WBBL and KSL have the promise to plug that existing gap in standards. At the same time, lack of monetary returns for the stakeholders has been the primary factor holding India back on that front. Mithali Raj offered a middle path to get the best of both worlds to make the league more viable in future. "This is just my personal thought, but I feel instead of four you can have five overseas players until you find out more domestic cricketers in. It makes sense because you also want to get the standard [of the league] up and at the same time give more exposure to domestic players. Increase the pool of players by adding a couple of more teams but you have more overseas players, too, to make it more interesting," she said in response to what her insights would be for the board when they meet to chart a roadmap for the future of this league. Raj didn't seem particularly keen on the idea of double-headers and one doesn't have to look beyond 2018 to figure why. But until this women's tournament is ready to completely step out of the shadows of IPL and become a stand alone product of its own while simultaneously accommodating more league games between more teams - an absolute, uncompromisable necessity - then double-headers might just have to be the way forward. Remember, WBBL is looking at a standalone event this year only after four years of a successful launch and building on the momentum slowly and steadily with each edition. Since this tournament is looking at expansion the following year - with or without the franchises coming on board - there will be an overlap in the 45-day IPL window, but a more carefully orchestrated show in terms of picking venues, match days and match timings can help avoid the mishap of 2018 while moving the league/game forward concurrently. The audience will come "TV pe toh nahin, but lights jal rahe the aur koi IPL game toh hai nahin Jaipur mein. Toh socha ja kar dekhte hain.<doc-sep>LIVE Score, WIPL 2019 Final, Supernovas vs Velocity: What a thrilling encounter! Supernovas pull off a sensational victory, and Radha Yadav does it in some sensational style to guide Supernovas to a thrilling four-wicket win. WIPL 2019, Supernovas vs Velocity Today’s Final Match Preview: Supernovas will take on Velocity in the final of the Women's T20 Challenge 2019 at Jaipur on Saturday. All three teams including the Trailblazers won one game each but Supernovas and Velocity qualified for the final with a higher run rate than the Smriti Mandhana-led side. Supernovas qualified for the final with a win over Velocity in the previous match of the tournament as Velocity, who had registered a victory against Trailblazers, adopted the rule of cautiousness in the chase. Instead of chasing the target of 143, Mithali Raj and Co decided to get past the mark of 117, which they needed to have a better run rate than Trailblazers. However, on Saturday, revenge will be on their minds as both teams face for the second time in space of three days. Supernovas' Jemimah Rodrigues was declared the player of the match in the previous tie for her sublime unbeaten 77. Velocity will look to keep the teenager quiet this time but Supernovas still pack a lot of punch with the presence of Harmanpreet Kaur, Sophie Devine and Chamari Athapaththu. Meanwhile, Poonam Yadav, Natalie Sciver and Radha Yadav form the foundation of their bowling attack. Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj are once again expected to shoulder the batting responsibilities of Velocity while Shikha Pandey and Amelia Kerr will look to restrict their opponents to a modest total this time around. Supernovas and Velocity full squads Supernovas 2019 Team Players List: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Anuja Patil, Arundhati Reddy, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Jemimah Rodrigues, Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Mansi Joshi, Natalie Sciver (England), Poonam Yadav, Priya Punia, Radha P Yadav, Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Taniya Bhatia (WK). Velocity 2019 Team Players List: Mithali Raj (Captain), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Danielle Wyatt (England), Devika Vaidya, Ekta Bisht, Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Jahanara Alam (Bangladesh), Komal Zhanzad, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sushma Verma (WK), Sushree Dibyadarshini, Veda Krishnamurthy For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from IPL 2019, click here For the full schedule, date, time and venue of all the matches of IPL 12, click here Check out the full points table for IPL 2019, including holders of Orange and Purple Caps<doc-sep>The 2017 Women’s World Cup in England triggered a revolution for women’s cricket in India. Almost overnight, the women had garnered more supporters, attracted more young girls and received more attention than they had all through the last decade. Of course, their performances on the world stage warranted the recognition, but for those involved in the game, the spotlight took some getting used to. Soon after the team’s return from England, there were questions thrown around about the possibility of a women’s T20 league the following year. Was India ready? Was the time right? Did they have the resources? So many questions, with no clear or satisfying answers. The team’s first home series after the World Cup was a bit of a disaster — they were mauled by Australia in an ODI series in Vadodara, and then faced the wrath of England and Australia in a T20I tri-series in Mumbai. Arguments against the launch of a T20 league strengthened: ‘lack of depth’ was the main excuse. However, a few months later, the BCCI decided to host an IPL-style T20 match for the women. On 22 May 2018, 26 women from India, Australia, England and New Zealand took part in the first Women’s T20 Exhibition match in Mumbai. Whether it was a success or not was debatable (the empty stadium leaving a bad taste in the mouth), but the game itself was very entertaining — a last-ball finish in which Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas reigned supreme. It served as a good advertisement for the women’s game, especially with much of the world watching. 2018-19 has been a season of transformation for India with many young girls being given a chance at the international level: Jemimah Rodrigues, Pooja Vastrakar, Taniya Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Hemalatha Dayalan, Harleen Deol, and Bharati Fulmali have all made their international debuts during this period. While the team has shown the ability to dominate various opposition at the highest level, their performances have been largely inconsistent with heavy reliance on a couple of players. The 2019 edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge held between 6-11 May in Jaipur showcased women’s cricket in the best and most competitive light. It indicated that things can change quickly for Indian cricket if talent is identified and nurtured. Much good has come of this four-match tournament. For one, it has proved that India is ready for a full-fledged T20 league. There are enough players to form at least four or five competitive teams, and the public is certainly keen to watch. New names come to the fore For a while now there have been many arguments about the lack of depth in Indian women’s cricket. In her very first innings of the Women’s T20 Challenge, 15-year-old Shafali Verma shattered that opinion. The right-hander’s 31-ball 34 that included five fours and one towering six displayed not only her extraordinary power, but also gave a peek into the untapped resources lying in India’s cupboard. Shafali seemed unfazed by the spotlight, and batted fearlessly, going after some of the best bowlers in the world. Although the opener managed only 47 runs in three innings, they came at an impressive strike rate of nearly 115. On a slow surface where most batters struggled to get going, her strokeplay was undoubtedly the standout of the tournament. While Shafali possessed the power, Harleen Deol, Trailblazer’s top order batter exhibited flair and finesse as she collected 79 runs in two innings. The right-hander’s solid temperament, ability to drop anchor, and accelerate at the latter part of her innings showed a great deal of maturity. Sushree Dibyadarshini, Radha Yadav, Priya Punia and Komal Zanzad all showed glimpses of their ability to succeed at the highest level. Of course, none of these names, barring Radha, displayed any kind of consistency, but one can expect improvements with continued exposure. There is much talent in the domestic ranks, but what the girls need is the time and opportunity to develop their skills. As opposed to 20-25 years ago where the circuit was far more competitive, domestic cricket no longer serves as a ‘finishing school’ for the players. This year’s Women’s T20 Challenge gave young Indian players an opportunity to learn from the very best: Harleen got a peek into the mind of Suzie Bates, Reddy rubbed shoulders with Natalie Sciver and Sophie Devine, while Shafali batted alongside Danielle Wyatt. Learning from the best One of the things that became apparent during the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean was the chasm that had developed between Australia and the rest of the world. In fact, despite the presence of superstars like Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy, it was the performances of Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner that were most impressive. The trio seemed to revel under pressure— each one playing a key role in Australia’s march to victory. Their performances made clear the positive impact the Women’s Big Bash League has had on Australian cricket— it has helped make the transition from domestic to international cricket that much easier. England, too, are moving in the right direction in this regard. The Women’s Cricket Super League that began in 2016 has seen the rise of a new crop of international stars including Sophie Ecclestone, Kirstie Gordon, Linsey Smith and Sophia Dunkley. Indian players, on the other hand, have had trouble making the jump from domestic to international cricket, barring a few exceptions. After a 3-0 loss to England in the T20I series in Guwahati earlier this year, Smriti Mandhana, stand-in captain, said, “There is a huge gap between international and domestic cricket. That gap needs to be lessened. Our domestic circuit needs to step up.” Training camps for all age groups, more domestic matches, and India A tours are all possible solutions. Investing at the grassroots level is essential for the standard of domestic cricket to improve, but it will require time. However, a Women’s IPL could serve as a quick fix. The chance for young Indian players to share the dressing room with overseas professionals will be the best way to learn. Getting a chance to watch them train, see how they deal with different match situations, and interact with them as teammates will allow the youngsters to develop their games as well. As Frances Mackay, New Zealand allrounder tweeted: “Training and playing with the best players has such a positive impact on your game. The ability to lean on others experience and ask questions of the best speeds up learning and development also.” This is so true. Training and playing with the best players has such a positive impact on your game. The ability to lean on others experience and ask questions of the best speeds up learning and development also. https://t.co/tKKc8F3UYN — Frances Mackay (@FrankieMac71) May 8, 2019 Playing under lights and in front of big crowds In 2016, India crashed out of the T20 World Cup at home. They struggled under pressure in front of big crowds and under lights. In 2017, India froze under the spotlight once again, going down by nine runs against England in the World Cup final at Lord’s. As the finish line neared, and the world cheered on, India, stumbled and fell hard on their face. In 2018, although India looked more comfortable in front of the large crowds, they faltered in a crunch game yet again — losing to England in the semi-finals of the World T20 in Antigua. It was India’s first match under lights since 2016; they didn’t fare particularly well. As rare are they are in women’s cricket, most players don’t experience playing night games/ under lights until they reach the international stage. Spotting the ball when it’s coming from the lights takes some getting used to. What the 2019 Women’s T20 Challenge has done is give the women a chance to experience the lights, crowds and pressures of the big stage, but all of it in a domestic tournament. The final of the tournament took place in front of a crowd of more than 13,000 people. It was a close match, there was pressure, but the women lifted their game.<doc-sep>
For a week, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium will be the focal point of the women’s cricket universe. It will be hard to say that the world’s best cricketers will grace the pink city due to some conspicuous absentees, but rarely does India get to see such a congregation, with players from five different countries joining the best of Indian talent for the IPL Women’s T20 Challenge. What? The Women’s T20 Challenge is an extension of the single IPL women’s T20 exhibition game that was held during the IPL last year. While last time, only two teams, the Trailblazers and the Supernovas, featured in the one off game, this time around a third team, Velocity, has been added. The three teams will be led by the three most popular female cricketers in India: Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Supernovas, in their blue and black colours. Smriti Mandhana will captain the Trailblazers in yellow and pink, and Mithali Raj will lead Velocity in purple. Also notable is the inclusion of Jhulan Goswami, in the Trailblazers squad, who will play these games despite having retired from T2oI cricket. Who else? Each squad of 13 also includes four overseas players. The Smash Sisters, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine of New Zealand will be in attendance, albeit in different teams. Also here are Danni Wyatt and Natalie Sciver of England. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu will make her first appearance in this enterprise. Three West Indian players also feature for the first time, along with Jahanara Alam of Bangladesh. Who’s not here? If your eyes are searching for a certain Ellyse Perry, and you’re confused because you can’t see her, we won’t blame you. Perry, Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy were all invited to participate in the tournament but did not make the final cut, as a “communications breakdown” between Cricket Australia and the BCCI saw the players miss out. Leaked emails from the BCCI suggest that Cricket Australia made the availability of their players conditional to resolution of a parallel dispute between the boards, with the scheduling of a men’s series in January next year being the primary bone of contention. It means that the competition will be dulled somewhat, with Australia being the reigning T20 World Cup champions. But just as much as the Indian public and the BCCI, it is also a loss for Cricket Australia, with their players denied the opportunity to participate in something historic. There was also some indication that players from South Africa might participate, but an ongoing series against Pakistan has prevented this. What’s the big deal? With the BCCI scaling up the exhibition matches, this is the strongest indication yet that there are concrete plans for a women’s IPL are in place. It is understood that the depth in domestic cricket is one of the concerns that the BCCI has. Observers will be keeping a keen eye on the quality of cricket played over the next week, and will be hoping that there is not a large gap between the overseas players and the Indian players, as was seen in the initial few years of the men’s IPL too. That may decide how fast expansion plans for a full-fledged tournament are put in place, or whether this three team format will remain in place next year. With the Women’s Big Bash League already established, and plans for England’s Kia Super League to be used as a stepping stone for the women’s competition in The Hundred, the women’s IPL has been called the last piece of the puzzle. What’s different? Last year, the one-off game was held as a curtain raiser to the first Qualifier at the Wankhede stadium. This meant that it was at the same venue as the Qualifier game, borrowing the same TV crew. It also meant it was relegated to the afternoon slot. Tickets were also clubbed with the Qualifier game, but with no re-entry allowed. Naturally, practically no one turned up to watch, and the best players in the world had to endure the 2 pm brunt of the Indian summer. This time, there are three matches, held in round robin format between the three teams, with the top two playing the final. All but one of the games are being played at the primetime evening slot, and will therefore cash in on the viewing habit that has been created over the past two months. All the games are being held in Jaipur, which has a centrally located stadium with free entry.