VECL began as a junior competition, and for a while it talked about girls’ cricket in a single line on a franchise page. The league has outgrown that description. This post sets out plainly what is open to girls and to women this season, in Melbourne, on the pathway and in Chennai, and what is not, so that families can make a decision on facts rather than on a phrase.
Girls’ age groups in the December tournament
The December 2026 tournament in Melbourne has girls’ age groups of its own: Girls Under 14 and Girls Under 16. They sit alongside the boys’ groups from Under 10 to Under 18.
Every Melbourne franchise fields both girls’ groups. The Western Falcons, Eastern Panthers and Northern Warriors each have a Girls Under 14 and a Girls Under 16 side, picked in exactly the same way as every other squad: from everyone who registers, by the selectors, with the same $20 registration fee for team selection.
Girls play the same cricket as everyone else in the league. Matches are turf T20, with appointed officials, scoring and statistics, and the same playing conditions in the Competition Rules. Under 14 and Under 16 girls use the 156g white leather ball, the same ball as the boys in those groups.
The HPIP: one try-out, one squad
The High Performance International Pathway (HPIP) is open to girls and to senior women on the same terms as everyone else: one try-out, one squad, and the same eight days at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) in Bengaluru.
There is no separate, smaller version of the programme. When the league says “boys and girls, and senior men and women”, that is exactly what it means.
The same age line applies to everyone. Try-outs are open to players aged 9 and over, and the HPIP camp squad is chosen from players aged 12 and over.
The supervision arrangements for the camp are written with mixed squads in mind. League staff travel with the squad and are with the players at all times, with at least one adult for every ten players, never fewer than two, and a female staff member whenever girls travel. Every adult holds a Working with Children Check. The HPIP page for parents has the full detail.
In Chennai, girls and women have their own bands
VECL Chennai’s first season, on Sundays from 10 January to 25 April 2027, has eight age bands, and three of them are for girls and women: Girls Under 14, Girls Under 18 and Women. They run as a competition of their own.
The girls’ bands in Chennai are deliberately wider, so that fewer girls are excluded by a birthday. It is worth a look if you want to see how the league thinks about this. The Chennai operation is run by a separate Indian entity under its own ownership, and its site is vecl.in.
What every player can expect
The league’s codes of conduct apply to everyone in the game, and they say the same thing in each version. Players commit to respect the rights, dignity and worth of everyone involved, whatever their gender, ability or cultural background. Coaches and officials commit to give every player a fair go, whatever their gender, ability, cultural background or religion. Parents and spectators are held to the same standard on the boundary.
Every adult in a role with players holds a verified Working with Children Check, and the league’s Child Safety Officer is Dhana Murugavel. The Child Safety Policy explains how to raise a concern.
Ask first, then register
If you are unsure whether there will be enough cricket for a particular girls’ age group this season, ask before you register. Email info@vecl.au. It is read and answered by the managing director, not a form, and the league would rather tell you honestly than take a registration for something that does not end up running.
December 2026 match days are 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30 December. Register for the December season, or read more on the girls and women page first.