INDIA: After five franchises successfully bid to participate in the inaugural season of the women’s IPL, a new chapter in the history of Indian women’s cricket was added on Wednesday.
BCCI unveiled the bidders for Women’s IPL
The Indian cricket board has declared that the league will be known as the Women’s Premier League, or WPL, days after the BCCI sold the media rights to the competition for the staggering figure of Rs 951 crore.
On Wednesday, BCCI secretary Jay Shah verified the news in a tweet, claiming that the WPL’s initial team bidding eclipsed the previous record-holder, the Men’s IPL’s 2008 debut season.
“Today is a historic day in cricket as the #WPL’s initial team bidding shattered the records set by the 2008 Men’s IPL!” Congratulations to the winners! We received a total bid of Rs. 466.99 Cr.,” Shah tweeted.
“This usher in a revolution in women’s cricket and opens the way for a transformative path ahead for not only our women cricketers but for the entire sports community,” Shah added.
Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd (Ahmedabad), Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd (Mumbai), Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd. (Bangalore), JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd. (Delhi), and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd. are the five successful bidders for the first season of the WPL (Lucknow).
The precise sum paid by each winning bidder was verified by the BCCI through the sharing of an image. Adani invested the most money overall—Rs 1289 crore—to acquire the franchise with headquarters in Ahmedabad.
The Lucknow-based franchise was purchased by Capri Global for a total of Rs 757 crore, which ended up being the least amount paid in the auction.
All five franchises’ official names have not yet been revealed. Viacom18 bagged the media rights for the upcoming Women’s IPL earlier on January 16, the BCCI confirmed.
Viacom18 committed a staggering Rs 951 crores for five seasons beginning in 2023, which works out to Rs 7.09 crore per game for the following five years.
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