The teams for the inaugural edition of the Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL) have been announced, with Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Lucknow being the five city franchises. The tournament will officially be called the WOMEN'S PREMIER LEAGUE. The corporates who have won the rights to own these teams are:
- Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd for Ahmedabad with a bid of INR 1289 crores
- Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd for Mumbai with a bid of INR 912.99 crores
- Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd for Bengaluru with a bid of INR 901 crores
- JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd for Delhi with a bid of INR 810 crores
- Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd for Lucknow with a bid of INR 757 crores
Adani Group registered the highest bid in the team-bidding exercise, securing the Ahmedabad franchise for INR 1289 crores. IndiaWin came in second, with a bid of INR 912.99 crores for the Mumbai franchise, while Royal Challengers Bangalore secured the Bengaluru franchise for INR 901 crores.
Chennai Super Kings did not submit a bid for a women's franchise, while Gujarat Titans also did not submit a bid but have stated that they want to focus on Gujarat Titans for now and would look for participation in the WIPL in the future. The Delhi Capitals franchise will be represented by both GMR and JSW groups, even though they had purchased ITT separately.
Nooshin Al Khadeer, currently the coach of the U19 Women's Team which is in the middle of a World Cup campaign in South Africa, is among those eagerly waiting for news of the franchises. It is not yet clear if any of the teams will potentially rope her in as a coach.
The WIPL will have five teams and BCCI will shortlist bidders according to their highest bid. The BCCI shortlisted 10 cities - Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Indore, Bengaluru, Guwahati, and Dharamsala. At least two Indian Premier League franchises - Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans - did not submit the technical bids for the inaugural edition of the Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL). Seven franchises - Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders - have confirmed that they have submitted the bids.
The first season of the women's IPL is set to begin in 2023, and the bidding process to decide franchises and owners will begin today in Mumbai, where more than ten different bidders will compete for rights to own five teams in the WIPL. Viacom 18 has been awarded the media rights for Rs. 951 crores for the first five editions of the Women's Indian Premier League.
