BCCI set to organise women's red-ball zonal tournament in Pune

After paving the way to a world-class T20 tournament in the form of the Women's Premier League (WPL) that brings all the international stars under one roof, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to create a structure for red-ball cricket in the women's circuit in the country.

The apex governing body of the sport in India is going to organise a six-team zonal red-ball tournament in Pune to give women cricketers a taste of the multi-day format.

The much-awaited tournament will feature six teams divided based on zones i.e. North, South, East, West, Central, and North-East.

The tournament is slated to kick-start from March 28



onward and will feature three-day games. North and South Zone will play the semifinals directly.

The winners among the other teams will take up the remaining two spots in the semis. The final will be played on April 9, 10 and 11.

The schedule has been designed specifically keeping the ongoing Women's Premier League in mind. The summit clash of the WPL 2024 tournament will be conducted on March 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Therefore, there is an 11-day break between both competitions to ensure that the Indian players (both domestic and centrally contracted ones) get enough time to rest and recharge their batteries for the red-ball grind.