Sports
Women’s Champions League cricket in April
Queen’s Event Management Pvt, an event management company that last year organised the Pokhara Premier League (PPL), has provided a huge respite to women cricketers by announcing the Women’s Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament on April 5-13.Adarsha Dhakal
Queen’s Event Management Pvt, an event management company that last year organised the Pokhara Premier League (PPL), has provided a huge respite to women cricketers by announcing the Women’s Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament on April 5-13.
The announcement comes at a time when Nepal has not been able to organise national level tournament for women cricketers for the last four years, all because of infighting in the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), which is currently under international suspension.
Queen’s Managing Director Chhumbi Lama said the tournament will be participated in by franchise teams from five different cities. According to Lama, the participating teams will initially compete in a round robin league format and the top two teams will play for the title. Lama said Queen’s Event will make it an annual tournament.
“We will host two tournaments annually. The PPL and WCL will be yearly events,” said Lama during a press meet on Thursday. The city-based franchises and cash prize of the tournament will be announced in a due course, informed Lama.
The Nepali women’s team members have been lamenting for not getting domestic tournaments. They recently participated in the Thailand Women’s Twenty20 Smash and lost to hosts Thailand in the final. Nepali women’s team captain said Rubina Chhetri, who has been vocal over stakeholders not doing anything for women cricketers, was excited with the event. “We are very excited. This is a beginning and we will get more exposure with these kind of tournaments. If Nepal gets a few more tournaments like these, we will be capable of making it to the World Cup,” said Chhetri.
Former national team skipper and current boys U-19 and women’s team coach Binod Das agreed with Rubina. “The game (cricket) is not only rising among the men’s but also in the women’s. If we don’t play domestically, we cannot get good exposure. The tournament was necessary and I would like to thank the organisers for this initiation. These women have the ability to compete against world class teams and if we get two or three more tournaments like this, we can fulfil that ambition, added Das.
Das had guided Chhetri-led team into the final of the Twenty20 Smash which was Nepal’s first ever appearance in the final of any knockout event in 12 years. The women’s team is preparing for the ICC Women’s Qualifier Asia which is scheduled to be held in Thailand from February 18-27.
Nepal will play alongside China, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, hosts Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in the Qualifier from where only the winners will make it to the 2019 Global Qualifier for the 2020 ICC Twenty20 World Cup and 2021 50 -over Women’s World Cup.