The first major women's Twenty20 competition in India was the Women's T20 Challenge. This started as a single-match tournament in 2018, and was expanded to a three-team, three-match competition held in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
In February 2022, then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announced plans to establish a women's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the major men's Twenty20 franchise cricket competition in India, replacing the Women's T20 Challenge.[5] By August plans were more advanced[6][7] and in October the BCCI announced that they were considering a five-team tournament which would take place in March 2023.[8][9] This league was informally known as the Women's Indian Premier League; BCCI Secretary Jay Shah clarified that the BCCI officially named it the Women's Premier League.[1][10]
On 28 January 2023, the BCCI invited bids for the league's title sponsorship rights until 2027.[11]Tata Group won the bid for an undisclosed amount.[12]Mumbai Indians were the inaugural winners of the tournament, beating Delhi Capitals in the final.[13]
Organisation
The league's structure is based on the structure of the IPL.[14][15][16]
Initially there are five teams, with sides playing against each other in a double round robin format, and the three teams finishing with the most points entering the playoff stages of the competition.[17][18] The Board plans to increase the number of matches and franchises in future seasons if the league is a success.[19]
The first season of the league took place from 4 March to 26 March 2023, and featured 22 matches, all held at Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.[19][20] Tickets were made available free to women during the first season.[21]
The league's mascot, Shakti, is a tigress wearing a sky blue cricket uniform.[22]
Teams
As of the 2024 season, the league has five teams based in cities across India.
The BCCI intends to distribute 80% of the profits from the competition among the franchise owners during the first five years. For the next five seasons, 60% of the profits will be shared, and from seasons 11 to 15, 50% of the profits will be distributed. Additionally, 80% of the revenue from the central licensing rights for the competition will be shared with the franchises. Franchises will also generate revenue through merchandise, ticket sales and advertising.[19][23]
Player auction
The first auction to purchase players for each franchise was held on 13 February 2023 at Mumbai.[24][25] Around 1,500 players registered their names.[26][27] Each franchise had ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) to spend and had to purchase between 15 and 18 players, six of whom could be overseas players.[14][24]
The base price of an uncapped player at the first auction was between ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) and ₹20 lakh (US$23,000). For capped players it was between ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) and ₹50 lakh (US$59,000).[28] In future seasons the purse size for each franchise will be increased by ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) each year.[19]
In the first auction a total of ₹59.50 crore (US$7.0 million) was spent to purchase 87 players. Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player purchased in the initial auction; she signed for Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹3.4 crore (US$400,000) and was appointed as the team's captain.[29]
Broadcasting
In January 2023, Viacom18 announced it had acquired the global media rights for TV and digital broadcasts of the tournament. The contract run for five years and was worth ₹951 crore (US$110 million).[30] The initial season of the league is broadcasting in India on the Sports18 TV channel and the JioCinema app, both of which are owned by Viacom18.[31]
The first season of the competition was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports,[32] in Australia by Fox Sports Australia, in the United States and Canada by Willow TV and in South Africa by SuperSports.[33]
In New Zealand it is aired by Sky Sport, in Malaysia and Hong Kong by Astro Cricket while in mainland China by Star Sports.