The inaugural season of the Women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will feature a bidding war between at least eight of the 10 IPL franchises from the men’s league.
They include defending champions Gujarat Titans, five-time winner Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals, according to an ESPNcricinfo report.
The two remaining IPL sides, Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore have not yet revealed if they have acquired the tender document or whether they intend to compete in the bidding for the five-team Women’s IPL. Several organisations other than the IPL clubs have acquired the tender document, which the Board of Control for Cricket in India made available for purchase beginning on 3 January.
Random thought. I hope the Women’s IPL franchises find the requisite ownership. The women’s game has perhaps the greatest scope for exponential growth right now.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) January 13, 2023
On 25 January, the financial bids for these franchises, which are now being presented in sealed envelopes, will be revealed. The BCCI and the Mumbai-based law firm Argus Partners must receive technical bids for consideration by 23 January. The deadline for bid queries from prospective bidders is 13 January.
The BCCI has narrowed down a list of 10 cities and identified the venues in the tender along with their respective capacities. Multiple bids from the same entity are permitted. There is no set base price, and offers will be taken into consideration for ten years, until 2032.
In its tender document, the BCCI clearly stated that it is not mandatory to accept the highest financial offer. Instead, the board looked into the plans for the bidders to contribute to the expansion of women’s cricket in India. This clause is identical to the one the International Cricket Council (ICC) set forth last year when it sold media rights for international events involving women cricketers for the years 2023–2027.
According to the BCCI, one of the requirements for qualifications listed in the tender document is that the bidder’s audited net worth must be at least Rs 1000 crore as of 31 March 2022. The BCCI has further specified that joint-venture or consortium companies are not eligible to place an offer.
While the BCCI has not yet officially announced an exact date to commence the women’s IPL, the tournament is likely to kickstart on 5 March and is expected to be completed around 23 March. As per reports, there will be a total of 22 matches in each of the first three seasons (2023–25) of the WIPL.
Each team will meet others twice during the group stage of the WIPL, and the team with the most points in the table will advance directly to the final.
The second finalist will be decided by a face-off between the second and third-place teams.
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