BCCI grants permission to four Indian women cricketers to play in The Hundred

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly given No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Indian women cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and one other player, allowing them to take part in the inaugural season of 'Hundred'. According to news agency PTI, the BCCI has granted NOCs to four Indian cricketers, who will take part in the Hundred tournament later this year. The tournament with the new format is slated to be played in the United Kingdom.

According to the report, the four Indians, who will be taking part in the Hundred, will fly to England with the Indian women's contingent in June this year, where they will play a one-off Test against England and then a T20I and ODI series before joining their respective sides for the new league. The Hundred will kick-start with a women's match between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals before their men's sides meet the following day. A BCCI source informed PTI that Harmanpreet, Mandhana, and Deepti have been given the NOC, along with another unnamed Indian player. 

The Indian women's cricket team is slated to play a Test match against England on June 16 at Bristol, following which they will lock horns in three T20Is and three ODIs. It has been learnt that the selected players will report on May 27 and spend some time in quarantine before leaving for England. The British government has suspended flights from India and it is not known as of yet how the Indian team will get into the country amid restrictions. 

The Hundred

The Hundred, which was originally scheduled to take place last year, was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it has been decided that the league will be staged in September. The format will see each side bowl a hundred balls in an innings, which received approval from ECB members in 2017. Each of the eight teams that will take part in the tournament will be coached by some of the big names in the world of cricket, including Stephen Fleming, Mahela Jayawardene, Simon Katich, Shane Warne, Tom Moody, and Gary Kirsten. 

(Image Credit: thehundred/website)