The process of team bidding is complete for the inaugural season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) and the names of the five franchises involved in the league and their owners have also been revealed. However, the players are yet to be auctioned. Amidst all these things, according to media reports, when, where and between which two teams the first match of the first season of WPL will be played, has been announced. Let's find out the details.
First match:
The WPL will begin with a clash between the teams Mumbai and Ahmedabad. According to a report by Cricbuzz, this match will be played on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Currently, a tentative schedule is being circulated among the concerned officials of the league to be launched, in which the Mumbai vs Ahmedabad (Gujarat Giants) face-off has been selected to give a kickstart to the tournament.
The Mumbai franchise of WPL is owned by industrialist Mukesh Ambani while the Ahmedabad franchise is owned by Gautam Adani. The report states that apart from the DY Patil Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium has been selected as another venue. Wankhede Stadium is the most prime venue in Mumbai which will host the India-Australia ODI match on March 17 followed by IPL matches which are likely to start from April 1.
WPL Schedule:
According to the report, the second match between the teams of Mumbai and Ahmedabad in WPL will be played on March 14. In the second match of the WPL schedule, Team Bengaluru will face Team Delhi at the Brabourne Stadium on March 5.
A total of 22 matches will be played in the first season of WPL and there will be a five-day break, with the first break on March 17 and then two days later on March 19. On the other hand, no matches will be played on the 22nd and 23rd of March. The Eliminator will be held on March 24 at the Brabourne Stadium and the final will be held on March 26 at the DY Patil Stadium. The fifth and final off day has been kept on March 25 before the title match.
WPL Bidding?
Adani Sportsline bought the Ahmedabad franchise named Gujarat Giants with the highest bid of Rs 1289 crore, and Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd acquired the Mumbai franchise with a bid of Rs 912.99 crore. Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd, and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd bought the remaining three teams, Bangalore, Delhi, and Lucknow (renamed as Lucknow Warriors) for Rs 901 crore, Rs 810 crore, and Rs 757 crore, respectively.
Who got the media rights of WPL?
Viacom18 Media Private Limited won the bid for the media rights (i.e., global television rights and global digital rights) of WPL for 2023–2027. Viacom18 acquired the rights with a bid of Rs 951 crore, which equates to Rs 7.09 crore per match.
