The Women’s Indian Premier League 2023 (WIPL) would likely take place in India from March 3 to 26 in its initial season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the plans for the inaugural tournament at the Annual General Meeting in October, giving women’s cricket in India a significant boost. However, the dates and schedule for the event have not yet been decided.
According to a report on ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI wants to host the competition a week after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, which will begin on February 2 in South Africa. The first WIPL will feature five teams and 22 games in India. Each side is allowed to name five international players in their starting eleven and will have a maximum of six abroad players out of their 18 total players (four from full member nations and one from an associate nation). There will be 20 group stage matches, with each team facing the other teams twice, and the team with the best record will advance to the championship game. In the eliminator game, the third- and second-placed teams will compete for a place in the finals.
The BCCI earlier on December 9 issued a call for bids for the media rights to the Women’s IPL 2023–2027. The last day to choose a bid is December 31, and the bids will be opened around January 8. Instead of an e-auction, the entire procedure will be conducted through a closed bid. No base pricing has been established by the BCCI for any category. TV, digital, and a combination of both will be the three categories for media rights.
The BCCI will hold the IPL 2023 mini-auction in the interim, but has not yet formally set the dates for the men’s competition. According to rumours, the board is seeking confirmation of the foreign players’ availability. They also want to wrap up a season before May 31 since India has a possibility to participate in the World Test Championship final, which is anticipated to take place on June 7 at The Oval.
