“Ohh bhai This is something huge”- Twitter goes into a frenzy as BCCI announces 5 teams for Women’s Premier League (WPL)
More than 30 companies showed interest in buying a team but a total of 17 entities submitted the technical bids on Monday (January 23).
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BCCI announces 5 teams for WIPL
The wait is over as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally announced the five teams that will compete in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The auction took place in Mumbai through a close-bid process on Wednesday (January 25).
The franchises are- Adani Group (Ahmedabad, INR 1289 crore), Reliance (Mumbai, INR 912 crore), Diageo (Bengaluru, INR 901 crore), JSW (Delhi, INR 810 crore), and Capri Globals (Lucknow, INR 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 announced the news on Twitter.
“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. The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women’s cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder,” he added.
As soon as the BCCI shared the news, fans on Twitter started reacting and congratulating the teams. Check their reactions below:
More than 30 companies previously showed interest in buying a team but a total of 17 entities submitted the technical bids on Monday (January 23). There were seven franchises from men’s IPL (Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings) that have submitted the documents.
Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans haven’t submitted the technical bids. The other ten were non-IPL entities. They were Apollo Pipes, Shriram Finance, Haldiram’s, Adani Group, Torrent, Kotak, JK Cement, Accord Distillery, Capri Global, and 369 Sling Shot.
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Check all the important details about WPL
There were several eligibility criteria to own a team. One of them was the bidder’s having an audited net worth of at least Rs 1000 crore as of March 31, 2022. There was no base price, and the bidders were given the liberty to contest for more than one franchise.
On January 16, BCCI sold the media rights of WIPL to Viacom18 for a whopping INR 951 crore (i.e. INR 7.09 crore per match) from 2023-2027.
It is expected that all 22 matches will be played in two venues across Mumbai. These two venues are the Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai and the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The date for the players’ auction is yet to be announced. The inaugural season is anticipated to start on March 4 to March 26. The five teams are set to clash against each other twice. The top-ranked team on the points table will directly qualify for the final, while the second and third-placed teams will lock horns in the quarterfinal to qualify for the final.
The prize money for the players is INR 10 crore; INR 6 crore for the champions, INR 3 crore for the runners-up, and INR 1 crore for the third-placed team. “Player prize money is to be dispersed among the players only,” the BCCI stated.
Six overseas players are allowed in the 18-member squads. Five overseas players can be included in the playing XI, unlike men’s IPL where they play four overseas players.
The WPL is considered to bring revolution to women’s cricket and the sport in general.
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