Excitement has started to build as the date of the one-off IPL Women’s T20 Challenge Match in Mumbai comes near. The match will see two teams- Trailblazers and Supernovas- led by Indian women's cricketer Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur respectively, going against one another.
There will be a total of 20 Indian players along with 10 players from overseas. Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy, Megan Schutt and Beth Mooney are set to land in Mumbai soon for the match.
The overseas cricketers are excited to be a part of the game and showed their excitement on social media and tweeted about it.
Perry, who is among the best T20 players across the world, wrote, "Really looking forward to heading back to Mumbai early next week, another awesome development for women’s cricket."
Really looking forward to heading back to Mumbai early next week, another awesome development for women’s cricket. https://t.co/i325sn3j7p
— Ellyse Perry (@EllysePerry) May 15, 2018
Megan Schutt, another Aussie cricketer tweeted, "How good!! ???????? Bloody excited to be a part of the T20 Exhibition match... also happy that either @ImHarmanpreet or @mandhana_smriti will be on THE SAME team as me ???????????? #pickmepls #IPL."
How good!! ???????? Bloody excited to be a part of the T20 Exhibition match... also happy that either @ImHarmanpreet or @mandhana_smriti will be on THE SAME team as me ???????????? #pickmepls #IPL https://t.co/SaNoAg8TA9
— Megan Schutt (@megan_schutt) May 16, 2018
Here is how others reacted:
“Our game really is going global.”
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) May 15, 2018
Sophie Devine is off to the women’s IPL Exhibition match in Mumbai ????#womenscricket pic.twitter.com/LTB9MwLkL8
Can’t wait for this! ???? Back to Mumbai ☺️???????? ???? https://t.co/23YxoQmxFT
— Danielle Wyatt (@Danni_Wyatt) May 15, 2018
How good Danni ????
— Suzie Bates (@SuzieWBates) May 15, 2018
How awesome is this?! Good luck to our girls flying the kiwi flag ???????????????????????? #proud #excitingtimes https://t.co/TbgoC778tN
— Amy Satterthwaite (@AmySatterthwait) May 16, 2018
All the best @ImHarmanpreet & @mandhana_smriti as you captain two sides in what will be a brilliant T20 Exhibition match before @IPL qualifier! Signs @BCCI have intentions to create Womens’s IPL! Gd luck Aussies @EllysePerry Mooney @megan_schutt & @ahealy77 #WomenInSport #Cricket https://t.co/6QleitE96Q
— Alex Blackwell (@AlexBlackwell2) May 15, 2018
Speaking about the T20 Challenge game, Rajeev Shukla, Chairman, IPL, said, "Even as IPL continues to roll like a well-oiled machine, over the last couple of weeks, efforts were made to put in place a similar structure for women cricketers. We were in talks with several Boards and I am pleased with the outcome. White Ferns captain Suzie Bates, attacking batter Sophie Devine, who holds the record for fastest half-century in women's T20Is, Australia's fine all-rounder Ellyse Perry, wicket-keeper bat Alyssa Healy, Megan Schutt and Beth Mooney have confirmed their participation. Danielle Wyatt and Daniel Hazell will add the English flavor."