Aditya ChaudhuriThe five teams for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 have been revealed following the completion of the financial bid submission processes by the respective team owners. BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah has also revealed that the tournament will be called the Women’s Premier League. Shah stated that the bidding for the WPL teams broke the record of the Men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) inaugural season in 2008. The WPL saw a total of ?4,669.99 crore invested.
The five franchises for the 2023 WPL will be: the Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd-owned Ahmedabad franchise, the Reliance Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd-owned Mumbai franchise, the Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd-owned Bangalore franchise, Capri Global Holding’s Lucknow franchise, and the JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd-owned Delhi franchise.
Indiawin Sports, Royal Challengers Sports and JSW GMR Cricket already own franchises in the IPL. It was reported before the bidding process that, among those who submitted technical bids, seven of them were IPL teams’ owners (Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad).
The five franchises with their bid values are as follows:
- Adnani Sportsline Pvt Ltd (Ahmedabad): ?1,289 crore
- Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd (Mumbai): ?912.99 crore
- Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (Bangalore): ?901 crore
- JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd (Delhi): ?810 crore
- Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd (Lucknow): ?757 crore
Jay Shah, BCCI Honorary Secretary, put out a tweet, stating:
“Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men’s IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs.4669.99 Cr in total bid. This marks the beginning of a revolution in women’s cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity. The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women’s cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder. The BCCI has named the league – Women’s Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin.“
Nita Ambani, Co-Owner, Mumbai Indians, commented:
“This is a historic moment for Indian cricket, and we are delighted to be a part of it. ndia’s women cricketers have always made the nation proud in the global sporting arena – be it the World Cup, Asian Cup or the recent Commonwealth Games. This new Women’s League will once again shine a global spotlight on the talent, power, and potential of our girls.“
Akash Ambani, Co-Owner, Mumbai Indians, added:
“I’m sure our Women’s MI team will take the Mumbai Indians brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to a new level altogether. As we bring the MI experience and best practices into the women’s game, we look forward to seeing our women’s team excel and inspire future generations of female athletes.“
Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman, Royal Challengers Bangalore, stated:
“We held back all our investments in overseas teams to own a team that aligns with this philosophy and core value, and it gives us immense pleasure to have marked this accomplishment positively.“
Rajesh V Menon, Vice-President, RCB, added:
“We have been following women leagues very closely and our scouting team has set their eyes on women cricketers for some time now, as part of RCB Hinterland scouting system, and it gives us immense joy to see it all coming together for a team that sets to play for the inaugural edition of women’s IPL in the country.“
The inaugural season of the WPL will take place in March 2023, and the player auction for the WPL will be held during the first week of February. The auction purse for every team will be ?12 crore.
The inaugural season of the WPL will have a total of 22 games, with each team playing a total of eight games. The team ranked at the top of the table will get a direct entry into the final, while the second and third placed teams will face each other in a qualifier to move into the final.
