WPL rings in the revolution of Women’s cricket as the ecosystem value increases by 8% in 2024
In an exciting development, as per the reports of the valuation services provider named the D&P Advisory, the value of the WPL ecosystem has witnessed an encouraging rise of 8% (from Rs 1,250 Crore to Rs 1,350 Crore) this year.
The success and the upward graph of the Indian women’s team performances at the international level resulted in a rise in demand calling for the launch of the first of it’s kind franchise league for Women cricketers in India, providing them a platform to express themselves.
The BCCI finally launched the Inaugural edition of the franchise league coined as the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in the year 2023. A total of five teams namely, Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Giants (GG), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), and UP Warriorz (UPW) participated in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur were crowned as the inaugural champions of the tournament. They defeated the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning in the final by seven wickets. In the 2nd edition, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, a team that finished 2nd last (4th position) on the points table in the inaugural edition made a remarkable turn-around to be crowned as the champions of the 2nd edition of the tournament.
A remarkable feat that the men’s version of the franchise has been waiting for the last 16 years since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the year 2008 was first achieved by the women’s team in only the 2nd edition of the tournament, setting an example for the men’s team to follow. They defeated the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning to claim their first-ever title in franchise cricket.
The teams get 80% of WPL’s central sponsorship revenue which ranges from Rs 1,000-1,100 Crores. “In the first five years, I think it is very difficult for any of the franchises to become profitable because of the amortisation cost of the bid amount. Plus, the fact that 80 percent of the central pool is also not that big that they (franchises) will cover for the losses. But what is important is that unlike IPL where the jump (in revenues) happened in the 11th year because the first 10 years of media rights were locked up, in WPL, that is not happening. Another media rights cycle will take place in the fifth year. So, there is a possibility that the correction which happened in IPL in the 11th year might happen in the sixth year in WPL.” D&P Advisory Managing Partner Santosh N, speaks about the difference in the time period of the media rights renewal as compared to the men’s franchise league and the positive impact it can have on WPL.
We are less than a month away then the upcoming 9th edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. The tournament which was earlier set to be hosted by Bangladesh is now set to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates due to political turmoil within the country. The tournament will get underway on 3rd October 2024 and conclude on 20th October 2024. All the matches of the tournament will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
(Quotes sourced from Money Control).
