Women T20 Challenge Match 2: Velocity vs Supernovas

🏏Women's T20 Challenge, 2022🏏

The Women's T20 Challenge, also known as the Women's IPL, is an Indian women's cricket T20 tournament that has been held since 2018. The tournament features three teams, playing a round-robin group followed by a final.

Women’s IPL has been in demand for almost two years now and the demand gained vigorous momentum after the success of The Hundred’ Women’s edition last year in England. However, all those demands have so far borne no fruit and the only outcome has been the re-introduction of the three-team and four-match long Women’s T20 challenge, a token tournament to showcase women representation in the richest cricket league in the world.

After being dropped for the 2021 edition due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the tournament returns this year with the matches being played at the same time as the IPL Playoffs but at a different venue.

Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma pose with the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 Trophy at MCA Pune. Photo: @IPL

🔹The First Season

The first edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge was played in 2018 where only an exhibition game was held between two teams named IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas at the Wankhede Stadium ahead of Qualifier 1 of IPL 2018. The match was won by the Supernovas led by Harmanpreet Kaur.

🔹The Second Season: Three-team Tournament

In 2019, the tournament was extended to become a three-team tournament with the number of matches being increased to three with the matches being played at a separate venue from the IPL Playoffs. Supernovas won the tournament by beating Mithali Raj led Velocity in the final by four wickets.

🔹The Third Season

In 2020, along with the IPL being suspended due to Covid-19, this tournament was also suspended. For the first time, it found sponsors and it was called Jio Women’s T20 Challenge. But Just like the IPL started in UAE, this tournament too was played i UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from November 04 to 09, coinciding with the IPL 2022 Playoffs.

The tournament was won by IPL Trailblazers who were led by Smriti Mandhana. They stopped the Supernovas from completing a hat-trick by defeating them in the final by 16 runs.

Women’s T20 challenge founded sponsors

In 2022, for the first time, even the token representation of women in IPL was scrapped as the BCCI found it better not to complicate things, which were already hugely complicated because of IPL being postponed in May 2021 due to the Covid outbreak.

Teams participating in the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that three teams will compete in the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 to be crowned champions at the end of the tournament.

Team Lead by

Supernovas Harmanpreet Kaur

Trailblazers Smriti Mandhana

Velocity Deepti Sharma

Overseas players allowed in each team for the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022

Much like the Indian Premier League, even in the Women’s T20 Challenge, four foreigners are allowed to be a part of the Playing 11 of any side.

🏏Women T20 Challenge 2022 Schedule

It was reported earlier that Lucknow might host this edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge. But later BCCI confirmed that the tournament will be played in Pune.

All four matches of the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.This was also one of the venues for the IPL 2022 where 15 matches of the league were scheduled to be played. However, two of Delhi Capitals’ matches were later shifted to Mumbai due to Covid-19 related issues with the team.

There will be a total of 4 games, like in previous seasons. This includes the final. The first game will be played on 23rd May at 7:30 PM in Pune. The 2nd match will be an afternoon affair and will start at 3:30 PM. The game will be played on 24th May.

There will be a break of one day as the third game will be played on 26th May. The final will be played on 28th May. Notably, the matches will be played alongside the Men’s IPL2022 playoffs.

Check out the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 Schedule

Date Match Time (IST)
23-May-22 Trailblazers vs Supernovas 7:30 pm
24-May-22 Supernovas vs Velocity 3:30 pm
26-May-22 Velocity vs Trailblazers 7:30 pm
28-May-22 Final 7:30 pm

Overseas players:

Supernovas: Alana King (Australia), Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Sophie Eccelstone (England), Sune Luus (South Africa)

Trailblazers: Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Salma Khatun (Bangladesh), Shamin Akter (Bangladesh), Sophia Brown (England).

Velocity: Ayabonga Khaka (South Africa), Katheryn Cross (England), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Natthakan Chantham (Thailand).

Players to watch out for:

Indian: Smriti Mandhana (batter), Deepti Sharma (all-rounder), Harmanpreet Kaur (all-rounder), Shafali Verma (batter), Jemimah Rodrigues (batter), Yastika Bhatia (batter), Arundhati Reddy (medium-pacer), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (off-spinner), Radha Yadav (off-spinner), Poonam Yadav (leg-spinner).

Smriti Mandhana (Sydney Thunder), Deepti Sharma (Sydney Thunder), Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), Shafali Varma (Sydney Sixers), Jemimah Rodrigues (Melbourne Renegades), Radha Yadav (Sydney Sixers) participated in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) 2021-22 and impressed with their performances.

Overseas: Alana King (Australia/Perth Scorchers), Deandra Dottin (West Indies/London Spirit in The 100), Kathryn Cross (England/North West Thunder/Manchester Originals in The 100), Sophie Eccelstone (England/Manchester Originals in The 100), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa/Adelaide Strikers).

All these players put up a terrific performance for their respective sides in the ICC Women's World Cup 2022 in New Zealand which was won by Australia. They are all potential match-winners for their respective national/WBBL/The 100 sides.

Team Squad

Supernovas: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Tanya Bhatia (vice-captain), Alana King (overseas), Ayush Soni, Chandu V, Deandra Dottin (Overseas), Harleen Deol, Meghna Singh, Monica Patel, Muskan Malik, Pooja Vastrakar, Priya Punia, Sophie Eccelstone (Overseas), Sune Luus (Overseas), Mansi Joshi.

Velocity: Deepti Sharma (Captain), Sneh Rana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Ayabonga Khaka, Kiran Navgire, Kate Cross, Keerthi James, Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, Natthakan Chantham, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra

Supernovas (Playing XI): Click to know more. (Under Construction).

Deandra Dottin,

Priya Punia,

Sune Luus,

Harmanpreet Kaur(c),

Harleen Deol,

Taniya Bhatia(w),

Sophie Ecclestone,

Alana King,

V Chandu,

Pooja Vastrakar,

Meghna Singh

Bench :

Ayush Soni

Monica Patel

Muskan Malik

Rashi Kanojia

Mansi Joshi

Velocity: (Playing XI): Click to know more. (Under Construction).

Shafali Verma,

L Wolvaardt,

YH Bhatia†,

N Chantham,

DB Sharma (c),

KP Navgire,

S Rana,

RP Yadav,

KL Cross,

A Khaka,

MD Sonawane

Bench :

Pranavi Chandra

Keerthi James

Aarti Kedar

Shivali Shinde

Simran Bahadur

Toss Won by Velocity and they decided to chase.

Pitch Report: There is some grass on the pitch and might not be of help to the spinners. The ball will skid on this pitch and it might be helpful to the batters. Since, this is a noon game, dew won't affect the match.

Velocity, on the other hand, will play their first game today. They will be wary of what they saw yesterday from Supernovas. Both the overseas spinners came back well from the hammering they took in the first overs. Pooja Vastrakar and Meghna Singh bowled well. The figures reflect it in the former's case and not so much in Meghna's. One would imagine, looking at Velocity's squad, that they have the firepower to tackle Supernovas' bowling riches.

Supernovas got off to a flying start yesterday and considering the fact that the teams play each other once, their handsome win yesterday stands them in good stead. However the vagaries of scheduling see them playing a match within 16 hours of their first match.

Pitch Report

There is some grass on the pitch and might not be of help to the spinners. The ball will skid on this pitch and it might be helpful to the batters. Since, this is a noon game, dew won't affect the match.

🪙 Toss🪙

🔸 Velocity won the toss and chose to bowl.

Harmanpreet Kaur, Supernovas captain: We are ok with batting first. We expect to put runs on the board and expect the bowlers to do their job

Deepti Sharma, Velocity captain: We chose to bowl because we expect the pitch to take turn in the noon. We have had 3 practice sessions and we come into the match with good practice.

Team Velocity is enigmatic and eye catching team. Fantastic bowling lineup but they might lack experience.

Keep an eye for Kiran Navgire. She is a superstar six hitter. Idolizes MS dhoni and started cricket because of him. Wants MS to take notice of her helicopter and possibly meet him one day.

ALSO KATE CROSS. No one has a better and more rhythmic bowling action in whole cricketing world.

https://twitter.com/cricketqueens/status/1529027729391091712

https://twitter.com/_hypocaust/status/1518144855716909056?s=20&t=ffEafUKOSVNLMg0LgwF9mg

Thanks for the tag Suyash.

Isn't it unfair to Supernovas to play back to back matches within 24 hours?

I know they already won a match.

Looking at the win loss streak, team Velocity might win this match.

May the best team win.👍🏼

Cheers..