Women's T20 Challenge: Spotlight on the unknowns

After months of speculations, the Indian women's team is set to emerge from its eight-month hibernation when the third edition of BCCI's Women's T20 Challenge (WT20C) gets underway in Sharjah from Wednesday (November 4).

Their return from Australia, where they finished runners-up to the hosts in the T20 World Cup in March, coincided with the nationwide lockdown due to the global spread of Coronavirus pandemic that brought sports to a complete standstill. That, in turn, led to the postponement of several events including the 2021 showstopper - the ODI World Cup slated for February-March in New Zealand - over concerns of inconsistent preparation time for various participants. However, this means a rather packed 2022 lies ahead for women's cricket with World Cups in both formats and also the Commonwealth Games debut lined up in the next 20 months.

But India's preparations for this busy schedule, ironically, took a hit when BCCI withdrew its team from the proposed tri-series in England in September while preparations were already underway for staging the postponed IPL 2020 in the UAE. Though added as an afterthought, the third instalment of WT20C now comes as a shot in the arm for the side that is still stuck in limbo wrt to what its international, or even domestic, itinerary looks like once this is over.

While BCCI floated this idea in August, it was also guilty of letting it brew longer than necessary. The clash of dates with Australia's Women's Big Bash League - whether unintended or just an output of last-minute arrangements - already meant many of the club-cricket regulars had to make a choice. The WBBL acted first and swept the cream away, with the foreign-player contracts window closing in early September, and it left BCCI with little to choose from. As a result, WT20C will be relying heavily on their Indian star attractions this year, while also playing host to three of Asia's biggest retired and semi-retired stars, including former Sri Lankan captain Shashikala Siriwardene who is lining up for her league cricket debut more than six months after calling it quits altogether.

On the brighter side though, it has also paved the way for a bunch of firsts - the most noticeable of them being the inclusion of Natthakan Chantham, whose impressive strokeplay was just one of the many likeable things about Thailand and their debut World Cup campaign earlier this year. South Africa get representation too for the first time, with leg-spinning allrounder Sune Luus and pacer Ayabonga Khaka headed to Velocity and Supernovas respectively.

In what could prove to be a major boost for India's bench strength, the selectors have thrown their weight behind a handful of youngsters, instead of resorting to those who may be past their prime, by giving them this platform since it's likely to be a downsized domestic season ahead.

Equally heartening for women's cricket in India is the emergence of a separate title sponsor from IPL, which has only underlined the fact that this product has built its standalone audience and is ready for expansion. The