A proposed new USA women's T20 franchise competition

Soon, the top players in the world may compete in a brand-new women's T20 franchise tournament held in the United States.

According to BBC Sport, stakeholders in the US have held early discussions regarding its viability.

In 2023, the men's T20 Major League Cricket (MLC) competition made its debut in the United States.

It is stated that discussions are in their very early stages, and no deadline has been set as of yet.

The men's T20 World Cup, which the US and the West Indies are co-hosting, gets underway on Sunday at 01:30 BST in Dallas.

Influential Americans in cricket believe there is a rare opportunity to increase domestic interest in the women's game because cricket is scheduled to be played at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The US women's national cricket team is expected to qualify for the Olympic tournament as the host nation. The team has never played in a significant International Cricket Council (ICC) event.

It is reported that certain MLC franchise owners are amenable to the idea of creating a women's squad in addition to their current men's teams.

MI Owner of New York, the MLC's original winner, is Mukesh Ambani, whose wife Nita has been a vocal supporter of women's cricket.

At this point, it's unclear how the plans would affect England's women's players' international obligations and maybe The Hundred.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) promised the eight women's teams an additional £800,000 earlier this year, guaranteeing that the best players would receive up to £50,000.

That amount is far less than the historically high wages that the most sought-after female cricket players selected for the Women's Premier League (WPL) in India received.

The two highest-paid English players in the competition were spinner Sophie Ecclestone (£180,000) and striker Nat Sciver-Brunt (£320,000).

The rise of MLC has already affected English men's cricket.

Jason Roy, the opener, decided to forgo his £60,000–£70,000 incremental white-ball contract with the ECB to participate in the MLC's first season.

The Los Angeles Knight Riders, Roy's team, have signed him through 2024.

For the upcoming season, which begins the week following the T20 World Cup final, MLC has added more well-known players, including the Australian tandem of Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Glenn Maxwell.