Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi Day Trophy

Origins and Evolution

The Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy has the deepest roots of the three, first introduced in 2014-2015 as India’s only domestic first-class competition for women. The format was a bold step at the time, given that red-ball cricket for women was virtually nonexistent outside international Tests, and even those were rare. The BCCI’s vision was to create a platform where players could develop the patience, technique, and match awareness required for longer formats. Initially played as two-day games, the event later expanded into three-day contests. The tournament ran regularly for a few years but was eventually discontinued after 2017-18, largely due to scheduling pressures and the global shift toward limited-overs cricket. Its revival in 2023-2024 was therefore seen as a major milestone, reestablishing red-ball cricket as part of the women’s domestic ecosystem.

Format and Scheduling

The format of the competition has evolved over time. In its earlier editions, it followed a round-robin system, where zones accumulated points not only for outright wins but also for first-innings leads, much like men’s Ranji Trophy matches. This rewarded strategic batting and bowling, emphasizing endurance and consistency. When the event was revived in 2023-2024, it adopted a knockout structure, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final, reflecting adjustments made to fit it within a packed cricket calendar. The inclusion of the North East Zone in the revived edition was also symbolic, broadening the reach of red-ball cricket across India.

Milestones

• The launch of the tournament in 2014-2015 as India’s first women’s first-class competition.
• The transition from two-day to three-day matches, allowing for more authentic red-ball contests.
• The discontinuation after 2017-2018, which underscored challenges in sustaining red-ball cricket for women.
• The revival in 2023-2024, reintroducing the format and expanding it to include the North East Zone.

Influencing Factors

The establishment of the Multi-Day Trophy was influenced by cricketing tradition as much as by modern needs. Culturally, red-ball cricket has always been the format most closely associated with India’s cricketing heritage. Extending that tradition to women was a natural, if delayed, progression. Politically, its revival after 2023 reflected the BCCI’s growing commitment to aligning women’s cricket with the men’s structure, ensuring opportunities across all formats. The decision also echoed international debates, as calls for more women’s Test matches grew louder in countries like England and Australia.

Financial considerations played a dual role. On one hand, red-ball cricket is not as commercially lucrative as T20 or ODI formats, which explains why the tournament was shelved for years. On the other, its revival was made possible by the financial security generated through the WPL and increased sponsorship for women’s cricket. Broadcasting technology again helped, since even a niche audience for multi-day matches could now be catered to through streaming services, reducing reliance on stadium attendance. Fashion and lifestyle trends around women’s cricket also mattered. As the profile of female cricketers rose, the image of women competing in whites on traditional pitches carried symbolic weight, projecting parity with the men’s game.

For Indian bettors, this tournament offered something unique. Unlike the quick results of T20s or the structured flow of ODIs, multi-day matches introduced variables like weather, pitch deterioration, and the tactical battle for first-innings points. This provided bettors with a deeper, more strategic form of engagement, echoing the complexities of men’s first-class cricket.