The BCCI gained a total of 4699.99 crores INR after the auction of teams for the WPL. The bids made history by rocketing higher than the first season of the men’s league. Read to know more.
All about the upcoming WPL
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after rolling out its plan of launching the Women’s T20 league gained 4699.99 crores INR as top corporates showed interest in owning the five teams. The bids for five teams based out of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow took place in Mumbai. The inaugural edition of the tournament is likely to take place in March and the player auction is set for next month.
The tournament fetched the BCCI a total of 5,650.99 crores INR as the broadcast rights were bought by Viacom for 951 crores INR. The Adani Group won the Ahmedabad franchise by placing the highest bid worth 1,286 cr INR. Adani Sportsline Private Limited is entering the ecosystem after previously missing out on bagging teams in earlier auctions. Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers placed high bids and walked away with the same home bases as their men’s teams. However, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Chennai Super Kings stayed away from the bidding.
WPL: More on the new league
The overall sum accumulated by the WPL has caught several by surprise. When the IPL was first sold in 2007, the then most expensive franchise Mumbai Indias was bought at 466 cr INR. While the WPL is yet to start, the huge bids are an indication of how top corporate houses are grabbing the chance of being associated with T20 leagues. This is a stark difference from 2008 when they were skeptical about investing in the T20 format of cricket. 15 years later, the crocket landscape and competition have changed.
“Today is a historic day in cricket. The bidding for teams of the 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 the total bid,” stated Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary. “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 also ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits every stakeholder,” he added.
