Women's Premier League: Teams Preview and Player Bids

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most prestigious cricket tournaments worldwide, and this year, it will finally have a women's edition.

The Women's PL will also be managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament was quite a long time coming as the Women's T20 Challenge in 2018 was its predecessor.

That started as a one-match tournament, but it eventually expanded to a three-team and three-match competition.

So, before you reach the point of looking up the results of the IPL match today, we're here to let you know all about this exciting tournament.

Women's Premier League Teams and Full Squad List

The Women's PL will have a total of 5 teams with 18 players each. These franchises will be allowed to have a maximum of six overseas players. Five of them can play on the field in any match.

Here are the five teams participating in the WIPL, their owners, home city, and home ground:

No official squad names are released yet except for the Ahmedabad team.

Meanwhile, here are the owners of each franchise:

● Gujarat Giants: Gautam Adani

● Mumbai: Reliance (Mukesh Ambani also the owner of Mumbai Indians)

● Bengaluru: Diageo (United Spirits also owners of Royal Challengers Bangalore)

● Lucknow: Capri Global

● Delhi: DC Franchise

Here's how much each team costs:

● Gujarat Giants: Rs 1289 Crore

● Mumbai: Rs 912 Crore

● Bengaluru: Rs 901 Crore

● Lucknow: Rs 757 Crore

● Delhi: Rs 810 Crore

There is no official full squad list yet for each team because, like the men's edition, WPL will also have an auction.

The franchises will have a salary cap of Rs 12 crore or around 1.5 million USD. They're not allowed to pick under-19 players unless they've already played first-class or have been part of List A cricket.

Women's PL Schedule, Venue, and Format

The Women's PL will be exactly like the men's edition in terms of format, but only with five teams. That said, it will have a double round-robin format where teams will play in group stages and playoffs.

The official schedule is also not yet announced, but other reports suggest that the WPL Auction will be held in February. The whole tournament will likely run before the IPL men's edition.

The tentative date for the IPL as of now is from March 4 to March 24, 2023, and all matches will be held in Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium.

If you won't be watching the WPL live, the official broadcasting partner of this tournament is Viacom 18, and the contract the league has with them is good for five years. The matches will then be broadcasted on the Sports18 channel and the Jio Cinema app.

Possible Women Cricketers Who Will Be Purchased With High Bids

Days or weeks away from the WIPL Auction, cricket experts already have names of who they think will get higher bids during the event. Here are some of them:

Smriti Mandhana

Smriti is a 26-year-old cricketer who plays for India's national team. She's been named the best Women's International Cricketer in 2018 by the BCCI and was awarded the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the best female cricketer of the year. She's a left-handed opening batter.

Harmanpreet Kaur

This 33-year-old all-rounder is the captain of India's Women's National Cricket team. Some of her awards include the Arjuna Award for Cricket in 2017 from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Kaur is also the first Indian woman to score a century in a women's T20 match during the T20 International against South Africa.

Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues is only 22, but she's also one of the most well-known cricketers of her time. She's an all-rounder, but she's mainly known as a right-handed batter. She's been awarded the Jagmohan Dalmiya Award by the BCCI in 2018.

Harleen Deol

Harleen is a 24-year-old right-handed attacking batter who plays for Himachal Pradesh. She is the second woman cricketer from Chandigarh to play for India with Taniya Bhatia being the first. Deol had a viral moment in 2021 with an acrobatic catch while avoiding the boundary rope during s T20 match against England.

Shafali Verma

Shafali also plays for the Women's National Cricket team in India. She's a 19-year-old right-handed batter, and she's the youngest cricketer to play in a women's T20I. Aside from that, she's also already played in all three formats of international cricket.

Wrapping Up The BCCI is hoping that this tournament would help significantly grow the following of women's cricket in India. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah tweeted how important this is in the country's cricket scene.

He said, "This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for women cricketers but also for the entire sports fraternity."