The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is upon us. Tickets have gone on sale for the event, which begins on March 4 (Saturday), on BookMyShow - the BCCI’s official ticketing partner. The first match is slated to be played between Adani Group-owned Gujarat Giants and Reliance Industries-owned Mumbai Indians at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.
The event, which will have 22 matches this season, has been made free for women and girls. For men and boys, tickets are selling at nominal prices of Rs 100 and Rs 400, per BookMyShow app.
This is in line with BCCI’s earlier strategy of doling out free tickets for women and nominal rates for men during the recently held India-Australia Women’s T20 series. The move is aimed at building interest and increasing stadium attendance for the women’s game.
The Tata WPL 2023 opening ceremony will feature performances from Bollywood actors Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani, along with music sensation AP Dhillon. The tournament will be live-streamed on the Jio Cinema app for free. TV viewers can catch all the action on the Sports18 Network.
Prior to this, the BCCI had named the Tata Group as the title sponsor of the Women's Premier League. The business conglomerate is said to have struck a five-year deal (until 2027) with the cricket body. The announcement was made by BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah on Twitter. “I am delighted to announce the #TataGroup as the title sponsor of the inaugural #WPL. With their support, we're confident that we can take women's cricket to the next level. @BCCI @BCCIWomen @wplt20,” he said.
Tata Group’s automobile division (Tata Motors) and financial services arm (Tata Capital) are said to be leading the association. “Women’s sports are becoming increasingly popular in India, and we feel this will only grow with time. We hope that our partnership with the BCCI for WPL will help provide the opportunity to promote women’s cricket by continuing to attract the best talent,” Rajiv Sabharwal, MD and CEO, Tata Capital, said in a statement.
Incidentally, Tata Group is also the title sponsor for the men’s IPL.
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