The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday (18 October) confirmed that the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL will be held next year. The announcement came after BCCI’s 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM). However, the dates and other details are yet to be confirmed. The women’s version of the Indian T20 League is expected to take place in March 2023, before the Men’s IPL.
A total of five teams are expected to be a part of the first edition of Women’s IPL. While a lot of things are going to be similar to that of the Men’s IPL, reports suggest that there will be no auction for the inaugural edition of the league. BCCI is planning on going ahead with a draft process for players rather than holding a full-fledged auction.
Meanwhile, an open bidding process is expected to take place for the ownership of five franchises. A Cricbuzz report has claimed that as many as six existing IPL franchises have shown interest in owning one of the WIPL teams but they are unlikely to get the first rights to pick a team and might have to be a part of the open bidding process alongside new interested parties.
The report further claimed that there will be five overseas players allowed in the playing XI instead of four. “The inaugural season of the WIPL will be a five-team event, with a maximum of five overseas players - 4 from Member Nations and 1 for Associate Nation - allowed in the Playing XI. Each team can make up a squad of 18 players, which includes six overseas signings,” it stated.
20 league games; table topper directly qualifies for final
The report further talked about the possible format for the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL. It claimed that only 20 league games will be played with each of the five teams playing twice against the other four. The table topper after the conclusion of the league stage will directly qualify for the final while the second and third-placed teams will play the Eliminator.