Women's IPL set to take place in March with 5 teams, max 5 overseas players in XI
New Delhi (PTI): The much-awaited inaugural edition of Women's IPL will have five teams and is set to take place in March 2023 before the start of men's IPL.
As per a BCCI note accessed by PTI, the tournament will feature 20 league games with teams to play each other twice. The table toppers will get a direct entry into the final, while the second and third place teams will battle out in the Eliminator.
Each team can have no more than five overseas cricketers in the playing eleven.
"To have a well balance of domestic & international players and to have competitive teams, it has been tentatively decided to have five teams for WIPL. Each team can comprise maximum of eighteen players where no team can have more than six overseas players.
"Further, no more than five overseas players - four from Full Members of the ICC and one from the Associate Members of the ICC can be part of the playing XI of each team," read the BCCI note.
The Women's Big Bash League in Australia and The Hundred in UK don't allow more than three overseas players and have a squad size of 15.
The board also thinks with limited number of teams, the home-and-away format will not be feasible. The event is expected to take place soon after the Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa from February 9-26.
"Like IPL it will be a challenge to play in home-away format in WIPL, as with five to six teams it is not possible to have a match every day. It is suggested that tournament can be played in caravan style where after finishing ten matches at one venue next ten matches to be played at next venue.
"Therefore, ten matches each to be played across two venues in 2023 WIPL season, ten each in the next two venues in 2024 season and for 2025 season ten matches in remaining one venue and remaining ten in one of the venues from 2023 season."
As far as the sale of teams are concerned, it may take place zone wise with the board shortlisting two cities for each zone: Dharamsala/Jammu (North zone), Pune/Rajkot (West), Indore/Nagpur/Raipur (Central), Ranchi/Cuttack (East), Kochi/Vizag (South) and Guwahati (North-East).
"Alternatively, teams in WIPL can be sold and matches may take place at venue that currently host IPL matches."
Those big cities include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
After the initial announcement on Women's IPL, it was widely reported that IPL owners will get first right of refusal over buying teams.
The final call on all matters concerning Women's IPL will be taken by the IPL governing council and BCCI office-bearers.
Calls for an IPL style league for women grew louder with the growth of the game in India, sparked by the team's runners-up finish in 2017. WBBL is taking place in Australia since 2016, while the Hundred was introduced in the UK last year. Pakistan has also announced a women's league for next year.
"There is an overall increase of 111% in participation of players along various categories in last eight years.
"In women's senior category, there is rise of 129% while in U-19 category its increased," as per the BCCI note on the game's growth in India.
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
