The wait for the Women’s IPL is nearly over. The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the five franchises for the upcoming Women’s Indian Premier League. The inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL, which will be held in March, will see five teams competing. The BCCI named the T20 league – Women’s Premier League.
The five city franchises for the women’s IPL are – Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Lucknow. Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd made the highest bid of Rs. 1289 crores. It was a landmark day for women’s cricket, as the women’s league broke the records of the inaugural men’s IPL.
List of successful bidders for the Women’s IPL, cities & amount
- Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd: Ahmedabad – Rs. 1289 crores
- Indian Sports Pvt Ltd: Mumbai – Rs. 912.99 crores
- Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd: Bengaluru – Rs. 901 crores
- JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd: Delhi – Rs. 810 crores
- Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd: Lucknow – Rs. 757 crores
Congratulating the successful bidders of the women’s IPL, BCCI President Roger Binny said, “I congratulate the winners for making successful bids to own WPL teams. The league will give players from India and abroad a chance to learn and grow together. It will pave the way for development at the grassroots level with the inclusion of more women cricketers. I’m confident that the league will help our women cricketers shine on the global stage.”
Historic day for Women’s Cricket
In a statement released by BCCI, Honorary Secretary, Jay Shah said, “It is a historic day for women’s cricket. I welcome Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd, Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd and Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd to Women’s Premier League. The collective bid of INR 4669.99 crore shows that our stakeholders thoroughly believe in the concept and have faith in BCCI’s vision and plans for the league. I thank all the participants for their overwhelming response. I believe that with a record Media Rights valuation earlier and now with these high bids, the league will be commercially independent and self-sustaining property.
“The league will surely provide more strength, but more importantly, create a more equitable future for women and girls in our sport. We are standing at a juncture where women’s cricket is set to grow by leaps and bounds and the WPL and the pay-parity decision earlier are significant milestone,” Shah said about the upcoming Women’s IPL.
Women’s IPL: Beginning of a new era
As BCCI announced the five competing teams of the Women’s IPL, BCCI Vice-President, Rajeev Shukla said: “This is the beginning of a new era of inclusivity where our women cricketers will get the unique opportunity to develop, thrive and excel at the global stage with the WPL. It fills my heart with pride to see this transformation happen in women’s cricket in such an affirmative way. This is truly going to set a benchmark for women’s cricket. A hearty congratulations to the new owners.”
Chairman, IPL Governing Council, Arun Singh Dhumal said, “I would like to congratulate and welcome all the winners to WPL. It’s an honour and pleasure to see the response we have received from the participants to invest in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. This is a strong testament to the value women’s cricket can offer and with this, there will be a central pool of self-sustaining resources for Women’s cricket. I’m certain that women’s cricket will reach new heights with the commencement of the WPL.”
Total bid of Rs. 4669.99 cr
Talking about franchises breaking the bank for the Women’s IPL, BCCI Treasurer, Ashish Shelar said, “A historic day as we witnessed the dawn of a new era in women’s cricket. I congratulate and thank all the bidders for the faith they have shown in the Women’s Premier League. The teams attracted a total bid of INR 4669.99 which is a record figure for a women’s tournament and an indicator of the change to come. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be a definitive platform for our women cricketers to thrive and excel.”
BCCI Joint Secretary, Mr Devajit Saikia said: “I congratulate all the five teams for bagging the ownership rights for the Women’s Premier League. It truly is a red-letter day in the history of women’s cricket and for women in sports. We had 16 parties submitting their bids, which reaffirms their faith in the capabilities of the new league. The Women’s Premier League has already generated tremendous interest and these five teams will take the fan base to another level.”
The dates for the Women’s IPL is yet to be announced, but the league is expected to be held in March, prior to the IPL.
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