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Women's T20 League (Source: Twitter)
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Women's T20 League (Source: Twitter)The auction for the inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 League is likely to be held on February 11 in New Delhi or February 13 in Mumbai. The Indian Cricket Board is expected to make the final decision by this week.
Originally, the Indian Cricket Board was looking at holding the players' auction on February 6 in Mumbai. Keeping in mind, that the franchises would require about a month’s time to get ready for the premier women’s tournament. The inaugural edition of the tournament is likely to take place between March 4 and 24. However, the Indian Cricket Board changed its plans for two reasons.
The first reason was that the majority of the owners of the five Women’s T20 League franchises also own teams in the ILT20 in the UAE and the SA20 in South Africa. The finals of these tournaments are scheduled to take place on February 11 and 12, respectively. Hence, the franchises would be busy attending that.
The second reason is that the franchises would have had limited time to assemble their coaching staff, which would be a key factor while picking players at the auction. According to reports, franchises collectively requested the Indian Cricket Board to postpone the auction from February 6 to a later date.
Tournament to be held in just two venues
The Indian Cricket Board has finalised two venues in Mumbai for the inaugural edition of the competition which are Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Cricket Academy in Navi Mumbai. The two grounds will collectively host the 22 matches that will comprise the inaugural season.
The key reason for limiting the tournament to one city is the potential logistical challenges the Indian Cricket Board fears it could face due to the Women’s T20 League starting close on the heels of the Women's 20-20 World Cup, which will end in South Africa on February 26. With less than a week available to fly to India, playing at just two venues in the same city would remove travel obstacles and keep players ready for the matches that will be played in a tight window.