Women's cricket set for a surge with inaugural IPL, U19 T20 World Cup in 2023

The Indian Premier League (IPL) gave birth to the largest revolution in the cricketing world, attracting tremendous attention, top-quality cricketers, and high viewership every year, both before and during a worldwide epidemic.

However, when it comes to establishing a similar league for women's cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been extremely slow. Due to the BCCI's refusal, despite a three-team women's T20 Challenge, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have rushed ahead to develop immensely successful women's T20 cricket competitions.

The Women's Big Bash League in Australia is the clear leader in this category, while the now-defunct Kia Super League fared well for England in domestic cricket until the Hundred elevated it to new heights.

Many have long called for a Women's IPL, which has been postponed owing to a lack of players or financial feasibility concerns.

But, since the Women's IPL became official in 2022, as the BCCI finally found the will and intent to do so, many are now seeing it as one of the big breakthrough events for women's cricket in what promises to be a big 2023 for the sport, after 2022 saw Australia reclaim the ODI World Cup trophy and win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The inaugural edition of the ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup, which had been planned for a long time before the Covid-19 epidemic, will take place in 2023. 16 teams will compete in 41 matches over four locations in South Africa's Benoni and Potchefstroom.

The event will allow young people to grow on a stage and display their talent in front of a world that is always on the hunt for future cricket stars.

March might see the dream of a Women's IPL become a reality, with fans packing stadiums, something that has been on the cards since 47,000 spectators witnessed the second T20I between India and Australia at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, when the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team won a Super Over.

At the same time, Pakistan will launch a Women's T20 League in Rawalpindi, involving four teams and 12 matches. The Hundred in England will also include the first-ever women's player draft in a major sport in the UK, with clubs required to choose a minimum of four players, with Welsh Fire taking the first choice.

With voices from both Indian and international players advocating vociferously for a Women's IPL, the Indian team has laid the groundwork for the next revolution in the cricketing globe.

2023 might be the year that women's cricket takes center stage, with the development of junior and senior talent in front of a passionate globe hungry for more cricketing activity.

READ| Women's IPL to commence on March 7; selectors set to submit a list of over 200 players