![]() | |
Countries | India |
---|---|
Administrator | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
Headquarters | Cricket Centre, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
Format | Twenty20 cricket |
First edition | 2023 |
Latest edition | 2024 |
Next edition | 2025 |
Tournament format | Double round-robin and playoffs (knock-out stage) |
Number of teams | 5 |
Current champion | Royal Challengers Bangalore (1st title) |
Most successful | Mumbai Indians Royal Challengers Bangalore (1 title each) |
Most runs | Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals) (676) |
Most wickets | Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz) (27) |
TV |
|
Website | wplt20 |
Seasons |
---|
|
The Women's Premier League (WPL), also known as the TATA WPL for sponsorship reasons, is a women's Twenty20 cricket franchise league in India, owned and operated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).[1][2]
The first season, played in March 2023, saw the Mumbai Indians winning the inaugural title. Matches took place in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with five franchises participating.[3][4]
The second season, conducted in February and March 2024, resulted in Royal Challengers Bangalore winning the title. Matches were hosted in Bengaluru and Delhi.
Season | Winners |
---|---|
2023 | Mumbai Indians |
2024 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
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]
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]
As of the 2024 season, the league has five teams based in cities across India.
Team | City | State | Home ground | Debut | Captain | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Delhi Capitals | New Delhi | Delhi | Arun Jaitley Stadium | 2023 | Meg Lanning | Jonathan Batty |
Gujarat Giants | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | Narendra Modi Stadium | 2023 | Beth Mooney | Michael Klinger |
Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Wankhede Stadium | 2023 | Harmanpreet Kaur | Charlotte Edwards |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | Karnataka | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | 2023 | Smriti Mandhana | Luke Williams |
UP Warriorz | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium | 2023 | Alyssa Healy | Jon Lewis |
Season | Winner | Winning margin | Runner-up | Final venue | Player of the match | Player of the season |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Mumbai Indians 134/3 (19.3 overs) |
Indians won by 7 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 131/9 (20 overs) |
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) | Hayley Matthews (MI) |
2024 | Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/2 (19.3 overs) |
Royal Challengers won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 113 (18.3 overs) |
Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi | Sophie Molineux (RCB) | Deepti Sharma (UPW) |
Season (No. of teams) |
2023 (5) |
2024 (5) |
---|---|---|
Mumbai Indians | C | 3rd |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 4th | C |
Delhi Capitals | RU | RU |
UP Warriorz | 3rd | 4th |
Gujarat Giants | 5th | 5th |
Teams | Appearances | Title(s) | Runner-up | Matches | Win | Loss | NR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mumbai Indians | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | |||
Delhi Capitals | 0 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | |
UP Warriorz | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | ||
Gujarat Giants | 16 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
A summary of the most notable statistical records associated with the tournament is provided below:
Batting Records | ||
---|---|---|
Most runs | Meg Lanning (DC) | 676 |
Highest score | Sophie Devine (RCB) | 99 vs GG (18 March 2023) |
Highest partnership | Shafali Verma & Meg Lanning (DC) | 162 vs RCB (5 March 2023) |
Most sixes | Shafali Verma (DC) | 33 |
Most fifties | Meg Lanning (DC) | 6 |
Bowling Records | ||
Most wickets | Sophie Ecclestone (UPW) | 27 |
Best bowling figures | Ellyse Perry (RCB) | 6/15 vs MI (12 March 2024) |
Fielding | ||
Most dismissals (wicket-keeper) | Richa Ghosh (RCB) | 22 |
Most catches (fielder) | Radha Yadav (DC) | 12 |
Team records | ||
Highest total | Delhi Capitals | 223/2 (20) vs RCB (5 March 2023) |
Lowest total | Gujarat Giants | 64 (15.1) vs MI (4 March 2023) |
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][24]
The first auction to purchase players for each franchise was held on 13 February 2023 at Mumbai.[25][26] Around 1,500 players registered their names.[27][28] Each franchise had ₹12crore (US$1.4 million) to spend and had to purchase between 15 and 18 players, six of whom could be overseas players.[14][25]
The base price of an uncapped player at the first auction was between ₹10lakh (US$12,000) and ₹20 lakh (US$24,000). For capped players it was between ₹30 lakh (US$36,000) and ₹50 lakh (US$60,000).[29] 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$7.1 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$410,000) and was appointed as the team's captain.[30]
In January 2023, Viacom18, announced it had acquired the global media rights for TV and digital broadcasts for the tournament. The contract will run for five years and was worth ₹951 crore (US$110 million).[31] 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.[32]
The first season of the competition was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports,[33] in Australia by Fox Sports Australia, in the United States and Canada by Willow TV and in South Africa by SuperSports.[34] In New Zealand it is aired by Sky Sport, in Malaysia and Hong Kong by Astro Cricket while in mainland China by Star Sports.
| |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
Seasons |
| ||||||||||
Auctions |
| ||||||||||
Finals |
| ||||||||||
Teams and grounds |
| ||||||||||
Lists |
| ||||||||||
Related topics |
| ||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BCCI |
| ||||||||||||||
National teams |
| ||||||||||||||
Members (teams) |
| ||||||||||||||
Tournaments |
| ||||||||||||||
Lists |
| ||||||||||||||
Others |
|
| |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current |
| ||||||||||||
Defunct |
|
| |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Major pro leagues |
| ||||||
Other national tournaments |
| ||||||
Regional leagues |
| ||||||
Women's |
|