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Latest reports are suggesting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will release the names and cities of the five franchises that will be a part of the upcoming inaugural Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL) on Wednesday, January 25, in a massive boost towards women's cricket in India.
The tournament has been earmarked to be held from March 5 to 23, and the BCCI has already released tenders inviting bids for owning and operating these five franchises. In the Invitation to Tender (ITT) document, the BCCI has pointed out that a single bidder can contest for more than one city as well.
The financial bids will be opened from their sealed envelope on January 25 only. According to ESPNCricInfo, 10 cities have been shortlisted, keeping in mind their capacities in the tender. The list includes:
1. Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi stadium, capacity 112,560)
2. Kolkata (Eden Gardens, 65,000)
3. Chennai (MA Chidambaram stadium, 50,000)
4. Bangalore (M Chinnaswamy stadium, 42,000)
5. Delhi (Arun Jaitley stadium, 55,000)
6. Dharamsala (HPCA stadium, 20,900)
7. Guwahati (Barsapara Stadium, 38,650)
8. Indore (Holkar stadium, 26,900)
9. Lucknow (AB Vajpayee Ekana cricket stadium, 48,800)
10. Mumbai (Wankhede / DY Patil / Brabourne Stadiums).
Of these places, seven cities (expect Dharamsala, Guwahati and Indore) are already home bases for the men's Indian Premier League (IPL) teams. The BCCI has asked the bidders to quote a price for 10 seasons, while also being given the option of contesting for more than one franchise/city. However, a successful bidder will only be given one franchise.
"The stadium with the highest bid amount will be awarded first," the BCCI said. "Thereafter, the stadium with the next highest bid amount will be awarded."
Initial format
The ITT states that the first three seasons — From 2023-25 — will have 22 matches. The league phase will see each team face off against others twice, with a total of 20 matches. The table topperS will progress straight to the final. The teams that finish second and third in the league will play an Eliminator to determine the second finalist.
The BCCI has also said March will remain the window for the WIPL. From the 2026 season, the WIPL could comprise "33-34" matches but the BCCI has not fleshed out any detail on the tournament structure.
