Women Premier League (WPL) aka women's IPL will start on March 4, a source confirmed to Sports Tak. As per the scheduled finalised by the Governing Council (GC), the inaugural season of WPL will be played between March 4 and March 26.
The opening game will be played in Mumbai between Mumbai-based franchise and Gujarat Giants.
Before the inaugural season, the mega auction will take place on February 13. So far, as many as 1500 players have registered for the auction. The final list is likely to be released later this week.
The five franchises will rope in a maximum of 90 players combined. Each franchise is likely to feature 15-18 players.
The WPL will ride on the women's T20 World Cup 2023 fever in South Africa. The final of the World Cup will be played on February 26. So far, the first season is set to be played in Mumbai.
Here is a look at new teams in WPL (one dollar = Rs 81.59):
Ahmedabad (Adani) - Rs 1,289 crore (157.98 million dollars)
Mumbai (Reliance) - Rs 912 crore (111.78 million dollars)
Bangalore (Diageo) - Rs 901 crore (110.43 million dollars)
Lucknow (Capri Global) - Rs 757 crore (92.78 million dollars)
Delhi (DC franchise) - Rs 810 crore (99.28 million dollars)
Even the least expensive franchise of WPL is more expensive than the most expensive franchise in IPL 2008.
Note: All the figures mentioned above are approximate.