The Women’s T20 Challenge, which kicked off on Monday, saw the women dominate the cricket pitch as the Trailblazers took on the two-time winners Supernovas in the opener.
The best of India’s women’s cricket team teamed up with some of the top stars from South Africa, England, the West Indies and Australia as the female cricketers monopolized the limelight in the opening match .
Off the pitch, it was the women who grabbed all the spotlight as the pre-match show was hosted by female anchors from Star Sports. Sports presenter Tanya Purohit, who is currently hosting the Women’s T20 Challenge, expects the ongoing tournament to grow bigger in the future.
“We have all seen how the Men’s IPL has grown over the years and it has provided a platform to showcase your talent. I expect the Women’s T20 Challenge to get bigger and better , because many foreign players are eager to be in the league,” Tanya told IANS.
“It’s also a better platform to show your skills on a larger scale. It can form a stage where selection happens in the India women’s team, just like we see for the men’s team,” he said. she adds.
Tanya, who has been part of a star-studded Star Sports panel that includes Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Aakash Chopra and Sunil Gavaskar, believes the all-rounder Deepti Sharma will be a player to watch as she leads the Vitesse team in the absence by Mithali Raj
“I expect a lot from Deepti because she’s an amazing player. And that’s what I was talking about, otherwise you won’t get a chance to captain a team, but a women’s T20 challenge gives you one. said Tanya.
Great Spell from Pooja 4-12-4 good support from Ecclestone & King. Win for Supernovas. 🔥#SNOVTRA #WT20Challenge #My11CircleWT20C pic.twitter.com/LZZ9qXJxaJ
— Women’s T20 Challenge (@wiplt20_) May 23, 2022
“It’s the platform where you show your talent because it improves your skills. When you play for the country, you might not get the chance to play in the team every time, but here you can play XI and you can get your form back,” she added.
Coming to the game, clinical hitting from the batters and a four-wicket shot from Pooja Vastrakar helped Harmanpreet Kaur Supernovas to a winning start in the Women’s T20 Challenge opener at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Monday.
The Supernovas beat the Trailblazers by 49 runs and Hayley Matthews, who picked three wickets for the Smriti Mandhana-led side, said losing wickets instantly cost them the game.
“We got off to a good start but their bowlers did a great job of getting back into the game. When you lose a few wickets it becomes difficult, so well done!! to them for taking things and rushing us when the momentum was with us,” Hayley Matthews said while answering a question from IANS during the post-game press conference.
Hayley Matthews also scored 18 of 14 before Pooja Vastrakar wreaked havoc to dismantle the Trailblazers stick.
“We realized the wicket was very good and the outfield was very fast, so we went inside with a lot of positive intent,” Matthews said.
“I think the last few months I’ve been focusing a lot on my bowling, trying to become an all-around player and it’s really good to be able to pick up a few wickets in the first game,” she added.
The Supernovas took on Velocity for their second matchup on Tuesday while the Trailblazers will face the same opponent on Thursday.
