Developments on the long-awaited launch of the Women’s Indian Premier League (W-IPL) sadly are presented to fans once in a blue moon. The tournament now is only a few months away from its expected launch and the Broad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains silent on its final action plan to get the tournament on the road.
While official announcements are awaited, a bunch of reports have surfaced on the W-IPL and we’ve briefed pointers from the same below. It reportedly has been understood that the BCCI is mulling on a base price of close to Rs 400 crore which happens to be the same base price that the BCCI set for Men’s IPL franchises back in 2008.
While Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have emerged as guaranteed bidders for a WIPL team and are only in wait to pick up the tender documents as soon as the BCCI announces it, Kerala Cricket Association’s (KCA’s), Joint Secretary, Bineesh Kodiyeri, has claimed of the WIPL set to see its first Kerala based team.
Update on Women’s IPL:
BCCI has asked the existing men’s IPL team owners to participate in the bidding process and is open to any and all investors.
Source: News18 | #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/sFeAOgd1Sh
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While MI and CSK are seen as firm buyers, Indian Premier League (IPL) teams namely; Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have shown interested in owning a sister franchise in the Women’s IPL and so is Sree Aurobindo Pharma.
Media reports have claimed that the BCCI has already begun signing contracts with Indian as well as overseas players in order to confirm foreign players’ availability in the Women’s IPL and the present central contract is expected to further grow into an agreement with the franchise, once the team decides to buy the player after undergoing a draft process.
The BCCI is believed to have changed its mood on its initial plan of giving first preference to the IPL teams to bid for a team in the W-IPL and the u-turn on the decision means new parties will be holding equal rights for a bid as the BCCI is in plans to float an open tender. The BCCI is also busy with plans of floating a separate tender for the e-auction of the broadcast rights.
The tournament will see over 2 weeks of action and 22 matches played, but at the nontraditional IPL venues for the W-IPL meaning, the tournament could well be played in only a couple or just more cities. The W-IPL will follow the league and playoff format with the top team qualifying directly for the final, while the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams will play the eliminator.
The following month, December is expected to be a moving one with a string of developments and official notifications from the BCCI in line to be made public, including the team owners and much more.
(Inputs sourced from various media reports including News18)
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