In a bid to expedite the growth of women's cricket in the country, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is set to launch a Women's National Super League (NSL) for both T20 and 50-over formats. While the 50-over competition kick-starts on Tuesday, February 6, the T20 tournament will get underway from February 15 onwards.
The tournament will be contested between four teams, namely, Dambulla, Galle, Kandy and Colombo.
The National Super League will bring the country's top cricketing talent from the women's circuit to one place and will serve as a platform for budding women cricketers to showcase their aptitude and will also fast-track their growth for national selection.
"The 50 over tournament, which will start on February 6, is a major elevation for women's cricket in the country, as they get to compete in the country's elite domestic competition.
"Competing and performing well in the Women's National Super League will enable players to graduate to national recognition. 60 players will be in action during the competition, which will be played in Colombo."
The latest development comes after the Sri Lankan women's cricket team enjoyed plenty of success during 2023.
The team scripted history under the leadership of Chamari Athapaththu twice. Firstly, Sri Lanka defeated the White Ferns 2-1 in a three-match ODI series at home - their first against New Zealand in history, and then went on to beat England in England in a three-match T20I contest 2-1.
Chamari was at the forefront of the success that came Sri Lanka's way in the 2023 calendar year, especially in the ODI format. She aggregated a total of 415 runs in eight games at a stellar average of 69.16.
She remained unbeaten on two occasions in the ODIs and smashed two centuries and a half-century. She finished as the sixth-leading run-accumulator in ODIs in 2023 and recorded a strike rate of 125.37 - more than anyone among the top 10 leading run-scorers in 2023.
