The inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL is set to get underway this year from 3rd March to 26th March reportedly and with the media rights up for grabs, a lot of parties have expressed their interest besides a plethora of updates. Let’s see what is happening!
What is the latest update?
The BCCI is believed to have received massive and exciting interest for the Women’s IPL Media Rights Tender. If the BCCI sources are to be believed, they received over 10 interested parties in the likes of Disney Star, Sony, and Viacom 18 who are frontrunners to have picked the tender document. Besides the usual, we also have contenders in Amazon Prime, Fancode, Times Internet, Google and Discovery to name a few who have thrown their ring in the hat and picked the tender documents. The BCCI will be following a closed bidding process to ensure the process goes about smoothly without much hassle.
What next?
The interested parties have to now submit closed bids by the deadline of 12th January and it will be only after all the bids have been submitted that the media rights tender will be sorted. The BCCI will then start selling the Women’s IPL franchises.
Is there a price for the Media Rights tender and for how long is it?
According to sources, the BCCI has not kept a base price for the media rights tender and after the winner is finalised, will the tender to sell the franchises come out. They ascertain that the media rights will give the franchise bidders a clear idea of the revenue visibility and feasibility. The media rights will span from 2023-27 which proves that the league is here to stay.
The BCCI has got BUMPER INTEREST for the Women IPL Media Rights Tender.
Amazon Prime, Fancode, Times Internet, Google, Discovery have also picked the Tender Documents.
Post the media rights tender, BCCI will sell the WIPL Franchises.#CricketTwitter #WomensIPL pic.twitter.com/8uKuGjgEoD
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 3, 2023
What are some of the trends being predicted?
2023 is expected to be a massive year for Women’s cricket and with the addition of the Women’s IPL, the BCCI is expected to make a lot of money, as the league is expected to generate 1000+ crores at the auctions alone for each franchise. It is also being reported that the player salary purse for Women’s players could be in the range of 35-40 crores for each franchise thereby indicating the financial viability of the league. Reflecting on the recently concluded India versus Australia series that saw crowds thronging the stadiums, the official who revealed information said that women’s cricket has a lot of untapped potential and the WIPL could take it to the next level. The BCCI could potentially earn 6000 crores to 8000 crores from the sale of the five franchises which could be a game-changer for women’s cricket in India and the perception of the same.
Who are some of the interested parties to buy franchises at the Women’s IPL?
Mohit Burman, the Chairman of the Dabur company firmly believes that the Women’s IPL has a lot of potential and that his interest in the tournament would certainly propel other investors to consider investing. He added that the base price is not known at the moment and that the riches to acquire a team can be estimated only after media rights are bought and that the bidders can get some sense of direction on what to expect.
How will the WIPL franchises be sold?
As per sources, the media rights and franchise buying rights will be done by a closed bid and the usual e-auction mode will not be applicable. The base price for each of the franchises is estimated to be around 400 crores. The BCCI is ideating on either selling the WIPL teams based on the different zones or organising the matches at non-men’s IPL venues. The other speculation is BCCI has requested the existing men’s IPL teams to bid but at the same time, the bidding process is open for any investor who is matching the eligibility criteria, making it a level playing field. Also, there is an update that if there is a bid made by an existing IPL franchise owner matches a new investor’s bid, there is no guarantee that a preference would be given to the existing franchise owner.
What is the speculated format for the WIPL?
WIPL is expected to have 5-6 teams and have a total of 22 games. Each franchise could have a maximum of 18 players with the inclusion of six foreign players. It is believed that the league phase will feature each team squaring off against the other twice making it a cumulative 20 matches and with the table topper progressing to the finals and the teams that are placed second and third on the table playing a knockout match to make it to the finals.
With the clock ticking on the Women’s IPL arrival, fans are eagerly awaiting the league that could forever change the destiny of women’s cricket in India and globally be path-breaking.
I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.
