Women's IPL to have open bidding, draft for players
According to Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to introduce a draft process for players in the inaugural Women's Indian Premier League (IPL) edition, expected to begin in March 2023. The draft process is contrary to the player auction used in men's IPL. Moreover, an open bidding process for the team auctions is also in the pipeline.
Why does this story matter?
Fans have been clamoring for a power-packed women's T20 League since India Women's resurgence over the last few years. The Women's IPL recently received a go-ahead at the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM). Like The Hundred and Pakistan Super League (PSL), the WIPL will have a player draft. In a draft, teams take turns selecting eligible players from a pool.
What about open bidding?
An open bidding process for the team auctions is expected to take place by the end of 2022. It is understood that as many as six of the existing 10 IPL franchises are keen on buying a WIPL team. However, the six sides will likely be a part of the open bidding process alongside new interested parties.
A look at the key details
As reported earlier, the WIPL will have 20 matches. Unlike the men's IPL, which follows the home and away format, the women's tournament could be played across two venues. Five teams could play each other twice in the league stage. The team finishing at the top will qualify directly for the final. Meanwhile, the second and third-placed teams will be playing an Eliminator.
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.
Playing XI could have five overseas players
In an interesting move, the BCCI is planning to extend the overseas player-limit in the Playing XI to five. The men's IPL still follows the four-player (overseas) format. As far as WIPL is concerned, a maximum of four overseas players in the XI can be from the ICC Full Member nations. The remaining one can be from an Associate Nation.
