In a welcome development, it has been reported by ESPN Cricinfo that there are over seventeen bidders of which seven bidders are from the men’s IPL ecosystem who have registered as bidders to stake a claim to own a Women’s IPL team.
They will be participating in the auction announced by the BCCI on January 25th to purchase the stipulated five women’s IPL franchises. The auction reportedly will take place on Wednesday in Mumbai and the winners will be declared through a closed bid process.
Earlier, ESPN Cricinfo had reported that men’s IPL teams in the form of Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals have submitted their bids ahead of the deadline that concluded on Monday. Surprisingly, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants did not submit bids to participate although they purchased the tender document. It is also imperative to note that one of the eligibility criteria for the bidding process is that the bidders will have to be worth Rs. 1000 Crores as of the end of the financial year, 31st March 2022.
17 bidders, including 7 entities that own men’s IPL teams, will participate in tomorrow’s auction to buy the five women’s IPL#CricketTwitter #WomensIPL
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 24, 2023
While the men’s IPL teams have expressed their interest but there are also financial entities like the Adani Group, Capri Global, Haldiram’s Group, Torrent Pharma, Apollo Pipes, Amrit Leela Enterprises, Sriram Group among other major players who have thrown their hat in the ring.
Earlier the BCCI listed over ten cities and venues in their tender document and allowed a single party to bid for more than one city with no particular base price set. Interestingly, the bids will be accepted for a ten-year period from 2023 to 2032.
The auction purse has also been set for Rs. 12 Crore for each of the franchises to acquire and build the squad as per their needs for the first season. Although, there hasn’t been a formal announcement of the auction date, sometime in February has been earmarked for the same. The BCCI had stated that the squad size would range from 15 to 18 and a total of seven overseas players could be acquired and in a welcome move even players from the associate nations could be a part. In the playing 11 however, there can only be five overseas players including an associate player.
With a lot of action happening behind the scenes for this exciting Women’s IPL, as fans and stakeholders of the game, we certainly have a lot to look forward to.
More to follow!
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.