CRICKET

BCCI will introduce women’s IPL franchises on January 25: reports Sport-rated

Published

1 month ago

February 26, 2023

According to a report published on ESPNcricinfo, the names of the five franchises participating in the women’s IPL (WIPL) and the cities from which they will operate on January 25.

The long-awaited women’s IPL is set to kick off this year and the tournament will feature 5 teams. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not announced the official dates of the tournament. However, reports claim that the women’s IPL is likely to be played from March 5-23 in India.

female IPL. (Photo: IPL)

A total of 22 games are expected to be played in the inaugural edition of the women’s IPL. 20 matches will be played in the group stage as each team will play against the other twice and the top of the table will qualify directly for the final. Likewise, the second and third classified will play a tie to determine the second finalist. In particular, the concept of 22 games per season will continue for the first three seasons and starting in the fourth season there is the possibility of 33-34 games being played.

The squads for the inaugural edition of the women’s IPL will be formed through a player auction, which will reportedly take place in February. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on January 3 the launch of an Invitation to Bid for the right to own and operate a Women’s IPL Franchise (WIPL).

Meanwhile, the franchises’ financial offers, which have been submitted in sealed envelopes, will open on January 25. The BCCI has also stressed that it is “not bound to accept the highest monetary offer” and will seek ways for bidders to work to enrich the development of women’s cricket in India.

BCCI shortlists 10 cities for women’s IPL, single bidder can compete for more than one city: reports

According to the same ESPNcricinfo report, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has clearly mentioned in the Invitation to Bid (ITT) document that a single bidder can compete for more than one city. In addition, the board shortlisted a total of 10 cities and listed the venues, including their respective capacities, in the tender.

The cities shortlisted by the board are; Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi Stadium, capacity 112,560), Kolkata (Eden Gardens, 65,000), Chennai (MA Chidambaram Stadium, 50,000), Bangalore (M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 42,000), Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium, 55,000), Dharamsala (HPCA Stadium, 20,900), Guwahati (Barsapara Stadium, 38,650), Indore (Holkar Stadium, 26,900), Lucknow (AB Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, 48,800), and Mumbai (Wankhede/DY Patil/Brabourne Stadiums). Notably, only one of the three reasons will be used based on “availability and other factors” for Mumbai.

The plan to have a group of 10 cities is quite different from the original plan of the board. Previously, the board had planned to choose one city from each of the country’s six zones or hold the tournament in half a dozen cities without proper home bases for the five franchises.

The Cricket Board of Control in India has asked bidders to quote a price for a franchise of 10 editions, as the board has not set an official base price. Additionally, bidders can compete for more than one city, but the winner will only get one franchise.

“The stadium with the highest bid amount will be awarded first. Thereafter, the stadium with the next highest bid will be awarded,” the Cricket Board of Control in India said.

There will be a new bid if two of the highest bids for a single location are equal. If the highest bids for two places from two different bidders are equal, BCCI will have “ranking discretion.” Also, if a bidder makes higher bids for more than one city, the board will decide the venue.