Women’s Premier League (WPL)
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is one of the most awaited events in Indian cricket history. The tournament has garnered much attention and excitement since its announcement. The league is owned and operated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body for cricket in India. The BCCI is responsible for organizing and conducting all cricket events in the country. The Women’s Premier League is the first major women’s T20 cricket franchise league in India and is expected to revolutionize women’s cricket in the country.
The first season of the Women’s Premier League is scheduled to take place in March 2023 in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Five franchises will take part in the inaugural season, representing different states and cities in India. The tournament promises to be an exciting showcase of women’s cricketing talent, featuring some of the best players from India and around the world.
The TATA Group, a leading Indian multinational conglomerate, won the title sponsorship rights for the Women’s Premier League until 2027 in a bid conducted by the BCCI in January 2023. The league’s name officially became the TATA Women’s Premier League after the sponsorship announcement.
The Women’s Premier League has already generated a lot of buzz and excitement among cricket fans, players, and stakeholders. It is expected to provide a major boost to women’s cricket in India and inspire a new generation of young girls to take up the sport.
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History of WPL
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is a newly-established women’s Twenty20 franchise cricket competition in India. It is set to replace the Women’s T20 Challenge, which was previously the only major women’s T20 competition in India. The WPL is modeled after the successful men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and is expected to feature five teams representing different Indian states and cities.
The BCCI announced plans to establish the Women’s Premier League in February 2022 and by August, the plans had become more advanced. The tournament is set to take place in March 2023 and is expected to attract top women’s cricket talent from around the world. The league was informally known as the Women’s Indian Premier League before the BCCI officially named it the Women’s Premier League on 25 January 2023.
Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, won the bid for the title sponsorship rights of the league until 2027. With the support of a major sponsor and the backing of the BCCI, the Women’s Premier League is set to be a major event in the world of women’s cricket, providing new opportunities and greater visibility for women’s cricket in India.
Organization
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has been modeled after the hugely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) in terms of its structure. The league will start with five franchises, with each team playing against the other in a double round-robin format. The three teams with the highest points will then proceed to the playoffs. If the league proves to be successful, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plans to increase the number of matches and franchises in future seasons.
The first season of the Women’s Premier League is scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 26, 2023, with all 22 matches set to be held at the Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Each team will be allowed to include a maximum of five overseas players, one of whom must be from an ICC Associate Nation.
The league aims to encourage women’s cricket in India by offering free tickets to all women during the first season. The league also has a unique mascot, a tigress dressed in a sky blue cricket uniform. The opening ceremony of the league will see performances from popular artists such as AP Dhillon, Kriti Sanon, and Kiara Advani at the DY Patil Stadium.
Overall, the Women’s Premier League promises to be an exciting new chapter in Indian cricket, providing a platform for women’s cricketing talent to shine and inspire a new generation of young girls to take up the sport.
Franchises
In a closed bidding process held in January 2023, the initial franchise rights for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) were sold for a whopping total of ₹4,669 crore (US$580 million). Several prominent companies took part in the auction, each vying for a chance to own one of the five teams that would be participating in the league.
The winning bids were as follows: Adani Group won the Ahmedabad franchise for ₹1,289 crore (US$160 million), Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd won the Mumbai franchise for ₹912.99 crore (US$110 million), GMR–JSW Cricket Pvt Ltd won the Delhi franchise for ₹810 crore (US$100 million), Capri Global Holdings won the Lucknow franchise for ₹757 crore (US$95 million), and Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of alcohol manufacturing company Diageo, won the Bangalore franchise for ₹901 crore (US$110 million).
With a total valuation of over ₹4,669 crore (US$580 million), the Women’s Premier League is now the second most valuable women’s sports league in the world, just behind the Women’s National Basketball Association in the United States, according to Jack Genovese of Ampere Analytics, a media research firm.
Three of the five franchises participating in the WPL, namely Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai Indians, also have teams in the men’s Indian Premier League, indicating a growing interest in promoting
Financial background
In a bid to ensure the sustainability and profitability of the Women’s Premier League, the BCCI has announced a profit-sharing model for the franchise owners. During the first five years of the tournament, 80% of the profits will be distributed among the franchises. This percentage will decrease to 60% for the following five seasons and eventually drop to 50% for seasons 11 to 15. Furthermore, 80% of the revenue generated from central licensing rights will be shared with the franchises. Franchise owners will also have the opportunity to generate additional revenue through merchandise sales, ticket sales, and advertising. The BCCI’s profit-sharing model is designed to incentivize long-term investment in the league and ensure that franchises have the financial resources to build competitive teams and grow the sport of women’s cricket in India.
Player auction
On 13 February 2023, the first auction for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was held in Mumbai to purchase players for each franchise.[19][37] The auction saw around 1,500 players register their names for selection.[38][39] With a purse of ₹12 crore (US$1.5 million), each franchise had to purchase between 15 and 18 players, out of which six could be overseas players.[12][19]
At the auction, the base price for an uncapped player was set between ₹10 lakh (US$13,000) and ₹20 lakh (US$25,000), while the base price for capped players was between ₹30 lakh (US$38,000) and ₹50 lakh (US$63,000).[20] In future seasons, the purse size for each franchise will be increased by ₹1.5 crore (US$190,000) each year.[17] This auction was a crucial step in building the teams for the inaugural season of the WPL, and all eyes were on which players each franchise would pick up to build a winning squad.
Broadcasting
In a major deal, Viacom18 acquired the global media rights for TV and digital broadcasts of the Women’s Premier League in January 2023. The five-year contract is valued at a staggering ₹951 crore (US$120 million). Sports fans in India will be able to catch all the action from the inaugural season of the league on the Sports18 TV channels and the JioCinema app, both of which are owned by Viacom18. The league has also attracted international interest, with Sky Sports securing a deal to broadcast the tournament in the United Kingdom in March 2023. This marks a significant step forward for women’s cricket, as the tournament is set to reach a global audience and inspire a new generation of players.