Finance
The inaugural Womens Premier League (WPL) could kick off on March 4 with a match between Mumbai and Ahmedabad (dubbed the Gujarat Giants) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
According to Cricbuzz, a preliminary schedule being circulated among the relevant authorities of the yet-to-be-launched league has the Mumbai-Ahmedabad match scheduled for March 4 to kick off the WPL.
The two franchises are owned by industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, which was hyped during the ILT20 when the MI Emirates and Gulf Giants faced off in the ongoing ILT20 in the UAE.
Apart from the DY Patil Stadium, the CCI-Brabourne Stadium is also mentioned in the report. The Wankhede Stadium, the city’s primary venue, will be closed for an India-Australia men’s ODI on March 17, followed by the IPL, which is expected to begin on April 1.
The return match in the WPL between the Mumbai and Ahmedabad teams is set for March 14. Team Bengaluru will face Team Delhi in the second match of the tentative WPL schedule on March 5 at CCI in a double header.
On Day Two, Gujarat Giants will face Team Lucknow (renamed Lucknow Warriors) at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday night. With the competition of five teams, the report also said three of the five competing sides could make it to the play-offs, with the table toppers directly entering the final. It means that second and third-placed sides will be playing the
The report also stated that the WPL, which has 22 matches, will have five off days, the first on March 17 and the second two days later, on March 19. The next two are on March 22 and 23, following the conclusion of the league stage. After the fifth and final off day on March 25, the Eliminator will be held on March 24 at CCI, followed by the final on March 26, a Sunday, at DY Patil Stadium.
Adani Group, through Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd, won the Ahmedabad franchise, Gujarat Giants, for INR 1289 crores, while Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd won the Mumbai franchise for INR 912.99 crores.
The remaining three teams, Bangalore, Delhi, and Lucknow (named Lucknow Warriors), were won by Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd, and Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd, with winning bids of INR 901 crores, INR 810 crores, and INR 757 crores, respectively.
The remaining three teams, Bangalore, Delhi, and Lucknow (named Lucknow Warriors), were won by Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd, and Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd, with winning bids of INR 901 crores, INR 810 crores, and INR 757 crores, respectively.
The WPL’s consolidated bid for media rights (i.e., Global Television Rights and Global Digital Rights) had been won by Viacom18 Media Private Limited for the period 2023-2027. Viacom18 outbid everyone else with a bid of INR 951 crores, which translates to a per match value of INR 7.09 crores.
Source:OCN
