Women's T20 Challenge To Begin On May 6

Three teams are set to play four Women's T20 Challenge matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur as standalone games during the IPL Playoff week, beginning May 6. The teams -- Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity -- will comprise current and future stars of Indian cricket playing alongside a selection of the world's best players. The combined strength of talent on display will showcase the quality of women's cricket, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.

Last year in Mumbai, the one-off match was played as a curtain-raiser to the first IPL Qualifier and comprised two teams -- Supernovas and Trailblazers. India T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana led the Supernovas and the Trailblazers, respectively.

The match was conducted as a means to test the feasibility of starting an IPL-style women's T20 league in the country. Although the match was a last-ball thriller and was telecasted by the board's host broadcaster, the crowd present at the venue was thin, partly because the game had a 2 pm start.