'It's the next big step for the game'

Alyssa Healy says she’ll jump at the chance to be involved if the Indian Premier League holds another women’s exhibition match this season.

Healy was one of five Australians involved in the historic first IPL women’s game last year, which saw the Trailblazers take on the Supernovas in a one-off game in Mumbai, as part of a double-header with the men’s competition.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has yet to reveal whether the experiment will be repeated this year, but speculation has been rife in the Indian media that there could be a series of exhibition games played between as many as three teams, over the space of 7-10 days.

“One hundred per cent,” Healy said when asked if she’d be interested in a return visit to India.

“It would be fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed that experience, heading over there for a few days and playing in that exhibition game.

“It’s probably the next step for the women’s game in the T20 format, so if that gets up and running that’s really exciting.

“I’m sure a lot of the girls would be willing to stick their hand up for it.”

Australia captain Meg Lanning, who was also part of last year’s exhibition game alongside Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt and Beth Mooney, agrees a women’s IPL is the missing piece of the puzzle.

"It was a lot of fun,” Lanning said on Saturday.

“We only, obviously, played the one game last time. I am not too sure what the set-up would be this time if there was one but, from the response we got last time, everyone is keen to do it.

"I would certainly love to be involved in something like that. The next big step for women's cricket is if an IPL could get up – it's certainly an exciting prospect.”

Since the introduction of the Rebel WBBL in 2015, England have brought in their own club-based T20 women’s competition, the Super League.

But a women’s IPL is still believed to be several years away, with the officials hoping to grow the depth of Indian domestic cricket before launching a fully-fledged competition.

The 2019 edition of the IPL will run from March 23-May 12, partly falling during Australia’s player leave period through the first few weeks of April. But any exhibition matches more likely to take place later in the season, or even during finals, when the Australian players have resumed training with their state sides.

“A number of players took part in the inaugural IPL exhibition match last year, and whilst we wait for more information I’d expect we’d be supportive of their involvement again this year,” CA Female High performance Manager Shawn Flegler said.

“It’s a great opportunity for the players, and to see a women’s IPL get off the ground would be a great thing for the game more broadly.”