Women's_Premier_League_(cricket)
Women's Premier League (cricket)
Indian women's franchise cricket tournament
The Women's Premier League (WPL) also known as the TATA WPL for sponsorship reasons, is a women's Twenty20 cricket franchise league in India, owned and operated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).[1][2]
 | |
| Countries | India |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
| Headquarters | Cricket Centre, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Format | Twenty20 cricket |
| First edition | 2023 |
| Latest edition | 2024 |
| Next edition | 2025 |
| Tournament format | Double Round-robin and playoffs (knock-out stage) |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Current champion | Royal Challengers Bangalore (1st title) |
| Most successful | Mumbai Indians Royal Challengers Bangalore (1 title each) |
| Most runs | Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals) (676) |
| Most wickets | Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz) (27) |
| TV |
|
| Website | wplt20 |
The first season, played in March 2023, saw the Mumbai Indians winning the inaugural title. Matches took place in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with five franchises participating.[3][4]
The second season, conducted in February and March 2024, resulted in Royal Challengers Bangalore winning the title. Matches were hosted in Bengaluru and Delhi.
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
The first major women's Twenty20 competition in India was the Women's T20 Challenge. This started as a single-match tournament in 2018, and was expanded to a three-team, three-match competition held in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
In February 2022, then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announced plans to establish a women's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the major men's Twenty20 franchise cricket competition in India, replacing the Women's T20 Challenge.[5] By August plans were more advanced[6][7] and in October the BCCI announced that they were considering a five-team tournament which would take place in March 2023.[8][9] This league was informally known as the Women's Indian Premier League; BCCI Secretary Jay Shah clarified that the BCCI officially named it the Women's Premier League.[1][10]
On 28 January 2023, the BCCI invited bids for the league's title sponsorship rights until 2027.[11] Tata Group won the bid for an undisclosed amount.[12] Mumbai Indians were the inaugural winners of the tournament, beating Delhi Capitals in the final.[13]
The league's structure is based on the structure of the IPL.[14][15][16]
Initially there are five teams, with sides playing against each other in a double round robin format, and the three teams finishing with the most points entering the playoff stages of the competition.[17][18] The Board plans to increase the number of matches and franchises in future seasons if the league is a success.[19]
The first season of the league took place from 4 March to 26 March 2023, and featured 22 matches, all held at Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.[19][20] Tickets were made available free to women during the first season.[21]
The league's mascot, Shakti, is a tigress wearing a sky blue cricket uniform.[22]
As of the 2024 season, the league has five teams based in cities across India.
| Team | City | State | Home ground | Debut | Captain | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Capitals | New Delhi | Delhi | Arun Jaitley Stadium | 2023 | Meg Lanning | Jonathan Batty |
| Gujarat Giants | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | Narendra Modi Stadium | 2023 | Beth Mooney | Michael Klinger |
| Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Wankhede Stadium | 2023 | Harmanpreet Kaur | Charlotte Edwards |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | Karnataka | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | 2023 | Smriti Mandhana | Luke Williams |
| UP Warriorz | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium | 2023 | Alyssa Healy | Jon Lewis |
Finals
| Season | Winner | Winning margin | Runner-up | Final venue | Player of the match | Player of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians 134/3 (19.3 overs) |
Indians won by 7 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 131/9 (20 overs) |
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) | Hayley Matthews (MI) |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/2 (19.3 overs) |
Royal Challengers won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 113 (18.3 overs) |
Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi | Sophie Molineux (RCB) | Deepti Sharma (UPW) |
Teams' performances
| Season (No. of teams) |
2023 (5) |
2024 (5) |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Indians | C | 3rd |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 4th | C |
| Delhi Capitals | RU | RU |
| UP Warriorz | 3rd | 4th |
| Gujarat Giants | 5th | 5th |
- C: Champions
- RU: Runner-up
- 3rd: Team that lost in the Eliminator.
| Teams | Appearances | Titles | Matches | Win | Loss | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Indians | 2 | 1 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Delhi Capitals | 0 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | |
| UP Warriorz | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Gujarat Giants | 16 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
A summary of the most notable statistical records associated with the tournament is provided below:
| Batting Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most runs | Meg Lanning (DC) | 676 |
| Highest score | Sophie Devine (RCB) | 99 vs GG (18 March 2023) |
| Highest partnership | Shafali Verma & Meg Lanning (DC) | 162 vs RCB (5 March 2023) |
| Most sixes | Shafali Verma (DC) | 33 |
| Most fifties | Meg Lanning (DC) | 6 |
| Bowling Records | ||
| Most wickets | Sophie Ecclestone (UPW) | 27 |
| Best bowling figures | Ellyse Perry (RCB) | 6/15 vs MI (12 March 2024) |
| Fielding | ||
| Most dismissals (wicket-keeper) | Richa Ghosh (RCB) | 22 |
| Most catches (fielder) | Radha Yadav (DC) | 12 |
| Team records | ||
| Highest total | Delhi Capitals | 223/2 (20) vs RCB (5 March 2023) |
| Lowest total | Gujarat Giants | 64 (15.1) vs MI (4 March 2023) |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[23]
- As of 17 March 2024
The BCCI intends to distribute 80% of the profits from the competition among the franchise owners during the first five years. For the next five seasons, 60% of the profits will be shared, and from seasons 11 to 15, 50% of the profits will be distributed. Additionally, 80% of the revenue from the central licensing rights for the competition will be shared with the franchises. Franchises will also generate revenue through merchandise, ticket sales and advertising.[19][24]
The first auction to purchase players for each franchise was held on 13 February 2023 at Mumbai.[25][26] Around 1,500 players registered their names.[27][28] Each franchise had ₹12 crore (US$1.5 million) to spend and had to purchase between 15 and 18 players, six of whom could be overseas players.[14][25]
The base price of an uncapped player at the first auction was between ₹10 lakh (US$13,000) and ₹20 lakh (US$25,000). For capped players it was between ₹30 lakh (US$38,000) and ₹50 lakh (US$63,000).[29] In future seasons the purse size for each franchise will be increased by ₹1.5 crore (US$190,000) each year.[19]
In the first auction a total of ₹59.50 crore (US$7.5 million) was spent to purchase 87 players. Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player purchased in the initial auction; she signed for Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹3.4 crore (US$430,000) and was appointed as the team's captain.[30]
In January 2023, Viacom18, announced it had acquired the global media rights for TV and digital broadcasts for the tournament. The contract will run for five years and was worth ₹951 crore (US$120 million).[31] The initial season of the league is broadcasting in India on the Sports18 TV channel and the JioCinema app, both of which are owned by Viacom18.[32]
The first season of the competition was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports,[33] in Australia by Fox Sports Australia, in the United States and Canada by Willow TV and in South Africa by SuperSports.[34] In New Zealand it is aired by Sky Sport, in Malaysia and Hong Kong by Astro Cricket while in mainland China by Star Sports.
- Women's Cricket Association of India – Former national governing body of women's cricket in India (1973–2007)
- Sport in India
- "Women's IPL: BCCI earns Rs 4669.99 crore windfall for 5 teams". Rediff. 25 January 2023.
- @JayShah (25 January 2023). "The @BCCI has named the league - Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "'Let the journey begin': BCCI garners Rs 4669.99 crore for sale of 5 Women's Premier League teams". The Times of India. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "CCI, DY Patil to host WPL from March 4–26; Mumbai-Ahmedabad to play opening game". Cricbuzz. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- "BCCI plans to start a full-fledged women's IPL in 2023: Sourav Ganguly". India Today. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- Acharya, Shayan (12 August 2022). "Women's IPL: BCCI exploring late February-March 2023 window for the T20 tournament". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- "BCCI to hold inaugural Women's Indian Premier League in March 2023". Outlook. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- "BCCI considers 5 teams, 2 venues, 20 league matches for inaugural WIPL". Cricbuzz. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- "Inaugural Women's IPL likely to be played from March 3 to 26". ESPNcricinfo. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- "'Let the journey begin': BCCI garners Rs 4669.99 crore for sale of 5 Women's Premier League teams". The Times of India. 26 January 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- "BCCI invites bids for Women's Premier League title sponsorship rights for 2023-2027". Deccan Herald. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- "WPL Title Sponsor: IPL". Loksatta. 22 February 2023.
- "Mumbai Indians become the first WPL champions thanks to Sciver-Brunt and Wong". ESPNcricinfo. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- "Women's Indian Premier League franchises go for £465m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- "Stunning Prices for Cricket Teams Are a Milestone for Women's Sports". NY times. 26 January 2023.
- "'Life changing'..." Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
- "Game Changer..." The Guardian. 3 February 2023.
- "Women's IPL 2023 Format, Rules". Time of Sports. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- महिला आयपीएल लिलावात, ४००० कोटींची कमाई! [Women IPL minted 4000 crore!]. Lokmat (in Marathi). 23 January 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "WPL Auction starts from 13 Feb 2023". Worldcup.org.in. 11 February 2023.
- "'Life changing'..." Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
- Nagraj Gollapudi (2023) Charlotte Edwards to coach Mumbai's WPL team, ESPNcricinfo, 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- "Women's Premier League auction in Mumbai". Times of India. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- Gollapudi, Nagraj (6 February 2023). "Women's Premier League to begin on March 4".
- "around 1K sing up for WPL auction". news18.com.
- "Haldiram, Infosys, 10 IPL teams among 30-plus companies to show interest in buying teams in Women's IPL: Report". TimesNow. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- Dixit, Ravi (3 March 2023). "WPL 2023 Schedule, Teams, Captains, Start Date, Squad, Venues, Prediction". Cricable. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- "Women's IPL: Viacom 18 wins media rights, to pay INR 7.09 crore per match". ESPNcricinfo. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- "Women's IPL Media Rights Bagged By Viacom 18 For A Sensational Rs 951 Crore Deal". Latestly. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- "Women's Premier League: 2023 season of women's version of IPL to be shown live on Sky Sports this March". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- WPL 2023, where to watch live: TV channels & live streaming | Women’s Premier League, Wisden online, 2 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
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- Schutt, Megan (10 March 2023). "India's Women's Premier League is a giant leap: we are hyped as much as the men". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
