The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the successful bidders and five new franchises for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The bidding process generated INR 4669.99 crore, breaking the record of the inaugural men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.
Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd won the bid for the Ahmedabad franchise with the highest bid of INR 1289 crore, while Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd secured the Mumbai franchise with the second-highest bid of INR 912.99 crore. Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd won the Bengaluru franchise for INR 901 crore, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd secured the Delhi franchise for INR 810 crore, and Capri Global Holding Pvt Ltd won the bid for the Lucknow franchise with a bid of INR 757 crore.
In a tweet, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah called it a “historic day in cricket” and said the WPL’s bidding sum broke the record of the inaugural men’s IPL in 2008. Shah also added that the league will be a beginning of a revolution in women’s cricket and will pave the way for a transformative journey ahead. He said that the WPL will bring necessary reforms in women’s cricket and will ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder.
The BCCI also announced that Viacom18 has won media rights for the first five seasons for a staggering INR 951 crore. This staggering media rights value, along with the new franchises’ valuations, will be a big boost for the development of women’s cricket all over the world.
Twitter was abuzz with reactions to the announcement of the WPL franchises and the media rights deal. Many users congratulated the BCCI for the successful bidding process and for the high valuations of the teams and the media rights. Others expressed excitement for the future of women’s cricket in India and around the world.
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