In our nation, the previous year was exceptional for women’s cricket. The team drew the ODI series and won the T20Is against India at home. They also won the T20I series and the ODI series against Pakistan. Bangladesh, who won bronze in the Asian Games, created history when they became the first team to win the ODI and T20I series in South Africa. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty is proud to lead this talented group and hopes for a domestic T20 league before the upcoming T20I World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024. Joty shared her thoughts on the potential franchise league in an exclusive interview with Cricfrenzy.

“We’ve discussed this. BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) is ambitious about it, but I don’t know how much practical implementation there will be. A few days ago, when I had a meeting with the Chairman (BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon), we raised this issue. He asked me, “Joty, how many teams can you manage?” He expressed personal interest about it. I said, “Look, sir, since we are relatively new, having 3-4 teams would be good. At least there should be healthy competition among the teams.” Joty said.

Women’s franchise leagues like WPL, Women’s Big Bash, and CPL are not as financially lucrative as men’s tournaments. Joty is encouraging franchise owners in Bangladesh, who have successfully run the men’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for years, to take the initiative and establish a women’s league.

“Here, franchises need to play a significant role. If they want to buy our teams, it will be good because when the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) happens, the women get one league per year.”

“When foreign cricketers come to play in Bangladesh, our players will have the opportunity to play in their countries too. As such, there will be multiple opportunities. Certainly, the more we play in the T20 format, the more we can progress. If this happens before the World Cup, then we can contribute even more,” Joty added.