The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yesterday granted the title sponsorship rights for the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 to the Indian fantasy sports platform, My11Circle. 

The 2022 Women’s T20 Challenge will consist of four games which will be played from May 23rd to May 28th at Pune’s MCA stadium. 

Among the prominent international players competing at the Challenge will be Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Sophie Ecclestone and Deandra Dottin. 

BCCI president, Mr Sourav Ganguly, said: “It is our mission to promote and nurture the sport we love across all formats and the Women’s T20 Challenge has always been key to that endeavour.  

“The continued success of the tournament both on and off the field is encouraging and gives us immense confidence that we are heading in the right direction,” said Ganguly.

The Indian Premier League is estimated to be worth $7 billion, and attracted 600 million viewers last year, trailing behind Premier League and National Football League as the third most-watched sporting event. 

It is hoped that the Women’s IPL will reap the same success as the Men’s tournament while serving as a similar competitive platform to the Women’s Big Bash League.

BCCI honorary secretary, Mr Jay Shah said: “India has a rich vein of cricketing talent and the continued growth of the Women’s T20 Challenge serves as the ideal platform for the players to test themselves against the very best, at a world-class tournament.”

“The appetite for Women’s cricket has grown significantly and having My11Circle on board as the title sponsor of the 2022 edition, is a testament to that. 

“The BCCI is committed to promoting women’s cricket in India and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with My11Circle,” said Shah.

Games24x7 co-founder & co-CEO, Bhavin Pandya, said they were excited to be sponsors of the tournament as the growing popularity of women’s cricket is “one of the most endearing developments” of the sport.

“This contest, which will feature some of the finest cricketers in world cricket, will give a further fillip to the rising popularity of women’s cricket and will offer immense excitement to fans and supporters of the game of cricket worldwide,” said Pandya.