Women's IPL garners bids worth Rs 4,670 cr; Adani wins Ahmedabad team with highest bid of Rs 1,289 cr

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday revealed that the Board has garnered a whopping Rs 4,669.99 crore in total bid for the franchises during the auction process for its inaugural Women’s T20 league. The tournament will be officially known as Women’s Premier League or WPL.

"Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs 4,669.99 cr in total bid. This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity," he tweeted. 

Shah further added, "The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women's cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder."

It must be noted that the Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd has bought the Ahmedabad franchise for Rs 1,289 crore, while Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd has bagged Mumbai franchise for Rs 912.99 crore. 

Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd has secured Bengaluru franchise for Rs 901 crore, JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd has taken Delhi franchise for Rs 810 crore and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd has secured Lucknow franchise for Rs 757 crore. 

Earlier, it was announced that Viacom18 has won the media rights of soon-to-be-launched Women's Indian Premier League for a period of five years (2023-27). 

The company has committed Rs 951 crore, which will be around Rs 7.09 crore per match. There will be 22 matches in the first three editions and 34 in the next two. Viacom18 already holds digital rights for the men’s IPL. 

"Congratulations Viacom18 for winning the Women’s IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in BCCI and BCCI Women. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for the next 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket," Shah tweeted. 

"After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL @ICC @BCCIWomen," he added.  

Also Read: Why Viacom18’s Rs 951 cr bet on women’s IPL is a win-win for the network and advertisers