Adani, RCB among 5 Women's Premier League (WPL) team owners

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (January 25) announced the five successful bidders for the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) with the Indian cricket board getting a combined valuation of ₹4,669.99 crore.

The inaugural women’s Twenty20 league – named Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be played in March with the participation of five teams (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow).

Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd, Reliance Industries’ Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd are the five owners of WPL.

Also read: Women’s IPL: Viacom18 bags media rights for ₹7.09 crore per match

At ₹1,289 crore, the Ahmedabad franchise is the costliest, owned by Adani Sportsline.

Adani’s entry

Adani Group, which had failed to buy an IPL team when the Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises were up for sale in 2021, has made its official entry into Indian cricket by securing a women’s team for WPL.

Now, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians’ (MI) owners have both men’s and women’s IPL teams.

Breaking barriers, making history, and playing bold!

Royal Challengers Bangalore are the proud owners of the Bengaluru Women’s Premier League Team 🙌#PlayBold #ItsHerGameToo #WomensIPL pic.twitter.com/swO4EvhZQc

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 25, 2023

“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,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

He added, “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.”

The @BCCI has named the league – Women’s Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin….

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 25, 2023

Earlier this month, the BCCI sold the media rights to Viacom18 for ₹951 crore, getting ₹7.09 crore per match value for five years.

The WPL player auction will take place next month.

Bidding process

The BCCI on Monday had cleared 17 technical bids for the closed-door bidding that was held in a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Wednesday.

As many as seven IPL franchisees were in the race and the ones to miss out were Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Among the outsiders, multinational sweets and snacks company Haldirams too had submitted its bid on Monday.

The BCCI had not set any base price for the sale of teams.

A total of 22 games will be played in the inaugural season with the top-ranked team in the league stage qualifying directly for the final. The second and third-placed teams will battle out for a place in the title clash.

Each team will have a purse of ₹12 crore at the players auction next month and will need to buy a minimum of 15 players and maximum of 18. Up to five overseas players, including one from associate, will be allowed in the playing eleven.

Reactions

RCB’s star player Virat Kohli said he was thrilled that his team had bought a team in WPL. “Well played, RCB! So thrilled that my team has won the bid for the Bengaluru Women’s Premier League team. Can’t wait to cheer for our women in Red and Gold.”

Well played, RCB! So thrilled that my team has won the bid for the Bengaluru Women’s Premier League team. Can’t wait to cheer for our women in Red and Gold. #ItsHerGameToo #PlayBold@RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/fIwSDzL5oK

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 25, 2023

Former Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj said WPL will “truly revolutionise” women’s cricket.

“A record-breaking start for the inaugural Women’s Premier League and expected nothing less! It will truly revolutionize women’s cricket as we know it. Exciting times ahead,” Mithali tweeted.

A record-breaking start for the inaugural Women’s Premier League and expected nothing less! It will truly revolutionize women’s cricket as we know it. Exciting times ahead @BCCI, @BCCIWomen, and @JayShah Sir.#WPL https://t.co/CdxHSwXplF

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) January 25, 2023

“India’s women cricketers have always made the nation proud in the global sporting arena be it the World Cup, Asian Cup or the recent Commonwealth Games. This new Women’s League will once again shine a global spotlight on the talent, power, and potential of our girls. I’m sure our Women’s MI team will take the Mumbai Indians brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to a new level altogether,” said Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani.

Mumbai Indians also has its presence in the ongoing ILT20 in UAE and SA20 in South Africa.

The Diageo-owned RCB franchise said it was patiently waiting to become part of womens cricket.

“At the core of Diageo, is the value of gender inclusivity that embraces diversity in the broadest possible sense and this enterprise champions us to welcome and celebrate women’s cricket for who they are and the value they bring in the journey of this sport, cricket.

“Therefore, it is a fitting asset in the right direction for Diageo India-owned franchise. We held back all our investments in overseas teams to own a team that aligns with this philosophy and core value, and it gives us immense pleasure to have marked this accomplishment positively,” said RCB chairman Prathmesh Mishra in a statement.

Women’s Premier League (WPL) owners

• Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd (Ahmedabad) – ₹1,289 crore
• Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd (Mumbai) – ₹912.99 crore
• Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (Bengaluru) – ₹901 crore
• JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd (Delhi) – ₹810 crore
• Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd (Lucknow) – ₹757 crore

𝐁𝐂𝐂𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞.

The combined bid valuation is INR 4669.99 Cr

A look at the Five franchises with ownership rights for #WPL pic.twitter.com/ryF7W1BvHH

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 25, 2023