BCCI likely to postpone Women’s T20 Challenge 2021 amid COVID-19 surge in India

The 2021 Women’s T20 Challenge is, according to a report, likely to be postponed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid the COVID-19 crisis. In light of the surge of cases amid the pandemic and the restrictions implemented by several nations, the BCCI is set to postpone the fourth edition of the three-team Women’s T20 Challenge.

The board, reportedly, cites the question mark on the availability of the foreign players with travel restrictions, to and from India, in place. Currently, India is hit by a record spike in COVID-19 cases as the second wave of the virus has taken over.

While the BCCI is yet to make an announcement on the fate of the upcoming T20 Challenge edition, it has been reported by ESPNcricinfo that BCCI officials have internally discussed the multiple challenges in terms of feasibility of flying in overseas cricketers from Australia, England, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for the tournament.

The T20 Challenge Model

In the previous edition of the T20 Challenge, that took place in the UAE parallel to the knockout phase of the IPL, only 12 overseas players participated which included big names such as Deandra Dottin, Danielle Wyatt, and Sune Luus.

Meanwhile, this week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the suspension of all direct passenger flights from India until May 15. Australian cricketer Andrew Tye, followed by Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson quit their respective IPL bio bubble to fly back to their home amid the COVID-19 crisis in India.

However, the BCCI has been stern on letting people know that the IPL will continue and also reassured the safety in the biobubble. But a word on the T20 Challenge is yet to be made public.

The T20 Challenge, which was expected to be played in the latter part of May during the IPL playoffs, was hosted at a single venue, in Sharjah, in 2020. In fact, the single-venue model has been followed ever since its inception in 2018. The short tournament features three teams – Velocity, Supernovas, and Trailblazers – led by Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana.