Five franchises confirmed for women’s IPL as Indian cricket board makes 465m | Cricket news

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed five franchises to compete in the inaugural Women’s Premier League 2023 season.

Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Lucknow have been revealed as the five successful host cities, with the respective owners committing a total of £465m, including Adani Group’s highest bid of around £128m for the Ahmedabad franchise.

The ownership includes five entities that currently oversee the IPL’s Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore franchises ahead of the T20-style tournament starting in March.

“Today is a historic day in cricket as the WPL opening team bid broke the men’s IPL opening records set in 2008,” said BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

“This marks the beginning of a revolution in women’s cricket and paves the way for a game-changing journey not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sporting fraternity.”

The presentation of the tournament matches the requirements of the women’s competition, as the three-team women’s T20 Challenge is the same as the men’s IPL since 2018.

BCCI President Roger Binny said: “I congratulate the winners for the successful bids to own the WPL teams. The league gives players from India and abroad an opportunity to learn and grow together. It paves the way for women cricketers to be included at the grassroots level.

“I would also like to congratulate the BCCI team for conducting the auction process smoothly. I am confident that the league will help our women cricketers shine globally.”

The BCCI has already sold the media rights of the tournament for the next five years to Viacom 18 for $117 million, which translates to a per-match value of $870,393.

“This is a historic moment for Indian cricket and we are happy to be a part of it,” said Nita Ambani of Mumbai Indians, who also own teams in the men’s T20 tournaments in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.