The Women’s Premier League is off to a spectacular start!
On Wednesday, the BCCI made a massive windfall of Rs 4669.99 crore from the sale of five teams in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The Ahmedabad team was the most expensive, with Adani Sportsline paying a whopping Rs 1289 crore for it.
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals also made successful bids of Rs 912.99 crore, Rs 901 crore, and Rs 810 crore, respectively, to enter the WPL.
Lucknow’s franchise was secured by Capri Global Holdings for Rs 757 crore.
“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,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah tweeted.
Adani Group, which had previously failed to buy an IPL team, has now officially entered Indian cricket by purchasing a women’s team for the WPL.
Earlier this month, the BCCI sold the media rights of the Women’s Premier League to Viacom18 for Rs 951 crore, with a value of Rs 7.09 crore per match for five years.
Many have already begun calling the league the “Women’s IPL,” but the official name was revealed by the BCCI Secretary on Wednesday as the “Women’s Premier League (WPL).”
“The BCCI has named the league – Women’s Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin. 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.”
“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,” Shah said in a series of tweets.
The WPL players’ auction will take place next month, with the first edition set to be played in March.
A total of 22 games will be played in the inaugural season, with the top-ranked team in the league stage qualifying directly for the final.
The second and third placed teams will battle it out for a place in the title clash.
Each team will have a purse of Rs 12 crore at the players’ auction next month and will need to buy a minimum of 15 players and a maximum of 18. Up to five overseas players, including one from an associate, will be allowed in the playing eleven.
“India’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. I’m sure our Women’s MI team will take the Mumbai Indians brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to a new level altogether.” said Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani.
The Diageo-owned RCB franchise said it was patiently waiting to become part of women’s cricket.
“At the core of Diageo, is the value of gender inclusivity that embraces diversity in the broadest possible sense and this enterprise champions us to welcome and celebrate women’s cricket for who they are and the value they bring in the journey of this sport, Cricket.”
“Therefore, it is a fitting asset in the right direction for Diageo India owned franchise. 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,” said RCB Chairman Prathmesh Mishra in a statement.
