JIO WOMEN’S T20 Cricket tournament commences following COVID-19 protocols

The Third Season of the Women’s T20 Challenge commenced on Wednesday, November 4 at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates with noted Indian women cricketers from India , England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand in the four-match tournament. Defending champions Supernovas will take on Velocity.  We hope the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge will inspire more young girls to play cricket, says BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. The BCCI has been organising the Women’s T20 Challenge since 2018, alongside the Indian Premier League (IPL). Top women cricketers from India and around the world take part in the tournament. The tournament available on the Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar marks the beginning of the Indian women’s cricket season following a COVID-19 induced break. Harmanpreet Kaur-led Supernovas, the defending champions, will take on Velocity, led by the veteran Mithali Raj, in the three-team tournament opener.  The 37-year-old legend last featured in a T20I match in March 2019. In her 89 T20I matches, Mithali has scored 2,364 runs with an average of 37.52. India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur is leading defending champions the Supernovas to take on Mithai Raj-led Velocity. This tournament as in the previous editions is being held during the IPL playoffs. Supernovas, Velocity and Trailblazers are set to play three matches with the final scheduled on 9th of November at the same venue. Three matches start at 7.30 p.m. IST There will be only day-game will be the second one, which will begin at 3.30 p.m. IST tomorrow. Officials recall that The T20 World Cup held this year was a huge success. The last year’s T20 Challenge held at Jaipur witnessed huge footfalls. Following the Coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Women’s team has not played any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup final against Australia which was played on 8th of March before the lockdown announced by  GOI following ncoronavirus. Sixteen-year-old Shefali Verma, who plays for Velocity, is the youngest women to play for India in T20Is. Shafali was declared the world Number 1 batswoman in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings released in March this year. Jemimah Rodrigues,20, from Mumbai is another the most explosive player in Indian women’s team. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana (Trailblazers), Sophie Ecclestone (Trailblazers) and Chamari Atapattu (Supernovas) are among the women cricketers expected to play as per their reputation and skills.