The Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have an auction, and while it was scheduled to be conducted in the first week of February, it has been reported that it will be postponed to a later date, and February 11th or 13th are the stipulated dates. This is mainly because of the ongoing International League T20 (ILT20), as reported by Vijay Tagore of Cricbuzz.
It is pertinent to note that at least four of the five owners of the franchises in the WPL are also owners of teams in the ILT20, and the representatives of the concerned teams have expressed their preference to have the auctions in the latter stage of the ILT20 during the knockouts specifically so that they can also focus their energies on the maiden WPL’s auctions. The BCCI still hasn’t announced the date for the auctions formally, and with the franchises expressing their preference, it might force the apex body to take into account the request.
An official of the BCCI, on the account of anonymity, shared, “We need to give the teams time to plan for the auction”. A representative of a WPL team also confirmed the same that the dates of February 11th and 13th might be considered by the BCCI to suit the preferences of the franchises. What is also important to understand is how the BCCI has been on the lookout for hotels to conduct the auction, but due to the ongoing season of marriages and other functions, the search has not reached a conclusion. Although the managers of the BCCI have selected a hotel in Delhi for one date and a hotel in Mumbai for the other date, the decision for the same will be announced shortly is what has been reported.
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.
