Women's IPL: MI, DC, RCB win bids to acquire teams
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, announced the successful bidders of the Women's Premier League (WPL). A total of five franchises were sold, with the combined bid valuation being Rs. 4,669.99 crore. The owners of men's IPL teams, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, as well as the Adani Group and Capri Global, have won bids.
Why does this story matter?
WPL, also known as Women's IPL, will commence a week after the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on February 26 in Cape Town. While BCCI is yet to finalize the dates, they have reportedly earmarked a window for the women's tournament. As per the plan, the competition will witness a total of 22 matches.
IPL team owners showcased their interest
As mentioned, three of the five franchises have been sold to the owners of the men's IPL teams. The Royal Challengers group, which owns Bengaluru's team, JSW group, owners of the Delhi-based team, and Mumbai Indians, the owners of Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd bid.
Who are the successful bidders?
The Adani Group has attained the Ahmedabad-based franchise for Rs. 1,289 crore. The Mumbai-based side has been bagged by Mumbai Indians owners for Rs. 912.99 crore. Owners of Royal Challengers Bangalore have bought the Bengaluru-based side for Rs. 901 crore. Delhi Capitals owners bagged the Delhi-based team for Rs. 810 crore. Capri Global has acquired the Lucknow-based side for Rs. 757 crore.
BCCI shares list of successful bidders
Jay Shah shares details
In a series of tweets, BCCI secretary Jay Shah expressed his delight and shared the total bid valuation of the five teams. "Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of the 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 the total bid," he tweeted.
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Media rights sold at a whooping price
Earlier this month, Viacom18 won the WPL media rights with a winning bid of Rs. 951 crore (per match value of Rs. 7.09 crore). The Network 18-owned media house will have the rights for five years (2023-27). This made WPL the most-expensive women's cricket competition in the world. Meanwhile, the men's IPL version remains the most expensive global cricket League.
January 26 deadline for WIPL player auction registration
The squads for the inaugural season of the Women's IPL or 2023 Women's T20 League will be picked via a player auction. As per Cricbuzz, the BCCI has called for both the capped and uncapped cricketers to register online to enter the Player Auction Register. The deadline for this has been set for 5 PM IST on January 26.
WIPL to be played in Maharashtra
According to the "guidance notes" for the auction registration system shared by the BCCI with the state associations, the auction will be held in February, and the inaugural WIPL edition will be played in March. It has been learned that the tentative date for the auction is February 11, while the WIPL is set to be played in Maharashtra from March 6 to 26.
