WPL 2023: Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians to clash in opener
Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to clash in the opening match of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) season on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The schedule was announced a day after the player auction concluded in the city. Besides, the final league game will be played between UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals on March 21.
A look at the key details
The inaugural WPL season will see a total of 20 league matches being played in a span of 23 days. There will be two playoff matches - the Eliminator (on March 24 at DY Patil) and the final (on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium). Notably, the two stadiums in Mumbai will host 11 matches each.
Four double headers
The T20 tournament will comprise a total of four double-headers. The afternoon games will start at 3:30 PM IST. Besides, all evening matches will start at 7:30 PM IST.
RCB, DC to clash in first double-header
The first double-header of WPL 2023 is scheduled on March 5. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium. Meanwhile, the UP Warriorz will play their first game against Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Stadium in the evening. As stated, the final league game will be played between UP and DC on March 21 at the Brabourne Stadium.
A look at the full schedule
A look at the five teams
The Adani Group attained the Ahmedabad-based Gujarat Giants for Rs. 1,289 crore. The Mumbai-based side was bagged by MI owners for Rs. 912.99 crore. Owners of RCB bought the Bengaluru-based side for Rs. 901 crore. Meanwhile, the DC owners bagged the Delhi-based for Rs. 810 crore. Capri Global acquired the Lucknow-based UP Warriorz for Rs. 757 crore.
The player auction concluded on Monday
There were plenty of eye-grabbing bids in the WPL auction on Monday. India's Smriti Mandhana broke the bank, snatching a sum of Rs. 3.40 crore. Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs. 2.20 crore), Deepti Sharma (Rs. 2.60 crore), and Shafali Verma (Rs. 2 crore) also fetched lucrative deals. Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Ashleigh Gardner were the joint-most expensive overseas players (Rs. 3.20 crore each).
