Women IPL is a new chapter in the history of Indian women’s cricket that was added on Wednesday after five franchises successfully bid to compete in the first season of the women’s IPL.
For the Women IPL, Bcci Unveiled the Bidders
Days after the BCCI sold the media rights to the competition for the astounding sum of Rs 951 crore, the Indian Cricket Board announced that the league would be known as the Women’s Premier League, or WPL.
The WPL’s initial team bid surpassed the previous mark-holder, the Men’s IPL’s 2008 debut season, according to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who verified the news on Wednesday in a tweet.
Congratulations to the winners! We received a total bid of Rs. 466.99 Cr. “Today is a historic day in cricket as the WPL’s initial team bidding shattered the records set by the 2008 Men’s IPL.”. Shah tweeted this.
“This ushers in a revolution in women’s cricket and opens the way for a transformative path ahead for not just our women cricketers but the entire sports community,” Shah continued.
Royal Challengers Sports Pvt., India win Sports Pvt. Ltd. (Mumbai), Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd. (Bangalore), JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd. together with Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd. (Delhi). are the five chosen bidders for the inaugural WPL (Lucknow) season.
Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd (Ahmadabad), India win Sports Pvt Ltd (Mumbai), and Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd. JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd. is based in (Bangalore). (Delhi), and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd. is the five successful bidders for each of the five auctions. The BCCI confirmed the exact amount each winning bidder paid by sharing an image. The franchise, with its headquarters in Ahmadabad, was purchased for the most sum ($1289 crore) by Adani.
Capri Global paid the least amount in the auction to acquire the Lucknow-based franchise, paying Rs 757 crore.
The official names of each of the five franchises are still a secret. On January 16, the BCCI announced that Viacom18 had secured the media rights for the upcoming Women IPL.
Viacom18 committed an astounding Rs 951 crore for five seasons beginning in 2023, or Rs 7.09 crore per game for the ensuing five years. The inaugural WPL (Lucknow) season.
Women IPL in Cricket Denotes the Beginning of a New Era with the T20 World Cup
Not long after significant investment in the first Women’s Premier League in India transformed women’s cricket and the lives of female cricketers worldwide, the T20 World Cup began in South Africa.
The words of Sophie Devine, the captain of New Zealand, at the start of the T20 World Cup in South Africa remind me of the long-lasting effects of those nine surreal days in early January when the face of women’s cricket was irrevocably altered.
For slightly more than €108 million ($116.7 million), Viacom 18 acquired the linear and digital rights to the Women’s Premier League (WPL), India’s domestic 20-over cricket competition based on franchises. As a result, the WPL became the second-most expensive sports league in the world, behind the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States, as well as the second-largest domestic T20 league worldwide, behind the Indian Premier League (IPL), which features men’s cricket.
A Protracted Journey Toward Acceptance
Given that the Women IPL was established in 2008, the debut of the women’s equivalent 15 years later serves as a reminder of how hard women’s cricket has had to fight against criticisms that the product isn’t good enough or can’t generate as much revenue as a men’s model, meaning it shouldn’t expect an equal amount of investment.
In fact, in 2018, Mithali Raj, the then-captain of India and one of the women’s cricket players with the most individual awards, was concerned that a string of uncompetitive, low-scoring games would taint the product and further denigrate women’s cricket.
However, women’s cricket has taken off in the five years since Raj’s remarks. Despite losing the match, India reached the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia in front of more than 85,000 spectators in Melbourne.
Viacom 18 is betting on the potential of the women’s league with an investment of roughly €808,000 ($866,000) per game. For gamers everywhere, that choice has altered the rules of the game.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, the body that governs cricket in India, has received praise from West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews for promoting women’s cricket internationally.
Matthews noted that the BCCI and Women IPL had set high standards for women’s cricket.”. “Women’s cricket has been expanding so quickly, and the boys are beginning to understand that if you want to watch it grow, you can make a sizable investment in the women’s game. “.
Women’s cricket players will receive the same international match fee as their male counterparts, the BCCI announced in a historic decision in October.
Constructing for the Long Term
Few international contracts are available for people outside Australia, England, and India. Since 2020, women’s international cricket earning opportunities have increased by 75%, according to a Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations report.
New Zealand fast bowler Lea Tahuhu debuted at age 21 in 2011.
According to her, the WPL allows players to make more in three weeks than in a year of international competition.
Tahuhu told DW that it would alter how the women’s game is played. “With this much money, it will have a global impact and elevate the women’s game even further. The more players who receive compensation, the more time they will have for training between ICC-sanctioned competitions. We want to see the Women IPL game become more skilled.
