Women's IPL 2020: The origins of the Women's T20 Challenge

23rd July 2017 is arguably one of the most celebrated days in the history of Indian Women's Cricket. The India Women's cricket team played in the World Cup final against England. Although India lost, it was a day that well and truly changed the minds of millions of cricket fans all across the globe.

In a country where cricket is mainly dominated by men, it was heartening to see India's women carving a niche for themselves with some splendid performances all through the ICC Women's World Cup.

Away from the glaring eyes of the media, the ICC Women's World Cup is one of the most illustrated tournaments in the women's circuit. With the top eight teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy, the matches go all the way down to the wire, ensuring that fans back home have plenty to cheer for.

Ever since the inception of the World Cup in 1973, the game has mainly been dominated by Australia or England. However, things have changed in the last decade as India and New Zealand along with South Africa have burst onto the circuit with some dominating performances.

As the Indian women stepped out at the Mecca of Cricket for the finals of the ICC Women's World Cup, it marked the beginning of a glorious chapter in the history of the sport.

Despite a nail-biting loss in the finals, the tournament clearly had a massive impact on kids back home to take up this sport and pursue their dream.

The journey of this young Indian team, from being the underdogs at the beginning of this iconic event to competing in the final game, was nothing short of breathtaking.

The origin of the Women's IPL

The two captains during the inaugural edition of the Women's Challenge. Image Credits - BCCI

After India's stupendous run in the World Cup, former players and experts all across the world voiced their opinion about the need for the Women's IPL.

With the intention of giving much-needed exposure to the top players of the country, along with a few international stars, the BCCI first introduced a one-off T20 Challenge in Mumbai ahead of the Qualifier 1 in 2018.

The match ended in a thrilling fashion, as the Supernovas, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, emerged as champions after their three-wicket win against the Trailblazers in the final over of the game.

The current champions of the Women's T20 Challenge

Apart from the two teams that competed in the inaugural edition of the tournament, the board introduced a third team in Velocity led by the batting stalwart, Mithali Raj in the previous edition of the T20 Challenge.

The three teams competed in a round-robin fashion, with the Supernovas and Velocity progressing into the summit clash based on a superior Net Run Rate.

The final showdown ended with a last-ball thriller as the Supernovas clinched their second successive title.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Supernovas started emphatically as they managed to scalp early wickets and reduce the opposition to 37 for the loss of five wickets.

A spirited fightback from Sushma Verma and Amelia Kerr ensured that the girls in purple managed to reach a respectable total of 121 runs in their allotted quota of 20 overs.

After a disciplined bowling effort from Velocity backed by some wonderful fielding, Supernovas too found it difficult to score the runs. However, Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front by scoring a brisk half-century in 37 balls to take her side past the finish line.

Women's IPL T20 Challenge 2020

The 2020 Women's T20 Challenge trophy

The 2020 version of the Women's T20 Challenge will kick-off on 4th November, in a round-robin format similar to last year. After the three teams play each other, the two finalists will face each other on the 9th of November. Like the Men's IPL, the tournament will be played in the UAE due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Women's T20 Challenge will combine with some of the leading stars from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand in a four-match tournament. Indian stars Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj, and Smriti Mandhana will lead the three teams in a battle that can't be missed.