BCCI plans to stage WIPL in Mumbai: Details here
The inaugural edition of the Women's IPL could be held in Mumbai. According to a Cricbuzz report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating this experiment. Although the host venues are yet to be finalized, the members of the IPL Governing Council gave some crucial updates. The tournament is likely to begin on March 3 next year.
Why does this story matter?
The WIPL organizers are planning to host the tournament entirely in Mumbai as it will curtail travel. Notably, the league phase of the 2022 men's IPL edition was entirely held in Maharashtra. It is understood that several BCCI and IPL officials have been communicating with the MCA regarding the experiment. Meanwhile, the Women's IPL will clash with the men's tournament.
Here is what the official said
According to a member of the IPL Governing Council, staging the WIPL in Mumbai "is certainly an option". "We have seen how successful the IPL was last year and we are certainly considering the proposal," they told Cricbuzz.
Women's IPL likely to commence on March 3
The inaugural edition of the Women's IPL is likely to get underway on March 3, 2023, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. While the women's competition would conclude on March 26, IPL 2023 (men's event) will reportedly commence on April 1. With the international calendar being jam-packed, the BCCI faces a significant challenge to conduct the two prominent events successfully.
BCCI yet to decide on venues and teams
The WIPL teams could be sold zone-wise or city-wise. Zone-wise: North (Dharamsala/Jammu), South (Kochi/Vizag), Central (Indore/Nagpur/Raipur), East (Ranchi/Cuttack), North East (Guwahati) and West (Pune/Rajkot) - with matches held at non-IPL venues. City-wise: Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata - with matches held at IPL venues. A final decision on the same is yet to be taken by the BCCI.
What about media rights?
The BCCI has already announced the media-rights tender for the first five seasons of the WIPL (2023-27). December 31 is the last date to pick up the tender. The board's next step would be inviting bids for the franchises. While the team auction would take place in a particular city in men's IPL, the Indian cricket board is pondering two different plans for WIPL.
Regulations of WIPL
Each side can have a squad of 18 players, with a maximum of six overseas players. Five overseas stars can feature in a XI, four from full-member teams and one from associate nations. All sides will meet each other twice in the league stage. While the table-topper will advance to the final, the second and third-ranked teams will meet to determine the other finalist.
