Should be mandatory for every IPL franchise to have a women's team: Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi feels owning a women's team should be mandatory for every IPL franchise.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to launch a Women's Indian Premier League (IPL) the next year. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had recently said the project is close to his heart and the valuation of the tournament will shock many when it gets underway next year. Over the years, several prominent figures in the women's game have called for a women's version of the IPL pointing out how it would help strengthen the bench strength as far as women's cricket is concerned in India.
With several BCCI officials hinting that a full-fledged women's IPL is not too far away from materialising, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has suggested a bold move to the BCCI. Modi, who was one of the brains behind the inception of IPL in 2008, wants every franchise in the tournament to also run a women's team along with their men's side.
Modi believes it should be mandatory for all the franchises to own a women's team as it would help improve the infrastructure of women's cricket in India. Currently, there are ten teams who are part of the IPL and none of them have a women's team.
"I didn't see much of IPL women's games this year (Women's T20 Challenge), but I think one of the biggest things they should do is make it mandatory for an IPL franchise to have a women's team," Lalit Modi told NDTV.
"If an IPL franchise owner is able to have a women's team, you'll see the bench strength in Indian women's cricket go up. You'll see investment in women's cricket by owners who are already making good money now," he added.
Several franchise T20 leagues around the globe have already invested in a women's league or are planning to do so. The Big Bash League in Australia had the Women's Big Bash while The Hundred in England too has theWomen's Hundred League. IPL also conducts the Women's T20 Challenge annually but the tournament is a short affair consisting of just a handful of matches between three teams.
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BCCI secretary Shah had recently hinted at the start of Women's IPL from next year onwards and revealed several franchises are interested in owning a women's team for the tournament.
"This is a project which is very close to my heart. We will start with either five or six teams in the first edition. I am thrilled at the kind of response we have got from stakeholders. Multiple existing IPL teams have enquired and expressed serious interest in owning WIPL franchises," Shah told PTI.