WOMEN PREMIER LEAGUE 2024
The 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) is an eminent Twenty20 cricket franchise tournament tailored for women in India. Under the auspices of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), this league has gained substantial traction since its inception.
In its inaugural season in March 2023, Mumbai Indians clinched the coveted title in a riveting competition held across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, featuring five competing franchises.
In February 2022, Sourav Ganguly, the President of BCCI, articulated plans to inaugurate a women’s rendition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a premier men’s Twenty20 franchise cricket extravaganza in India. Subsequently, by August, concrete proposals began to materialize, with the BCCI considering a quintet of teams for a tournament slated for March 2023. This endeavor, initially dubbed the Women’s Indian Premier League, was officially christened the Women’s Premier League by Jay Shah, the Secretary of BCCI.
The BCCI extended invitations for bids for the league’s title sponsorship rights until 2027 on 28 January 2023, with Tata Group clinching the deal for an undisclosed sum. The inaugural season culminated with Mumbai Indians emerging triumphant over Delhi Capitals in a thrilling final showdown.
STRUCTURE OF WPL:-
The league commences with five teams engaging in a double round-robin format, wherein each team encounters the others twice. Subsequently, the top three teams, based on accumulated points, progress to the playoff phase. The Board envisages expanding the league’s scope in forthcoming editions by augmenting the number of matches and franchises, contingent upon its success.
The maiden season, spanning from 4 March to 26 March 2023, featured 22 enthralling matches staged at Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, with complimentary tickets offered to women during this inaugural edition.
INVESTORS OF WPL TEAMS:-
In January 2023, investors acquired the initial franchise rights through a closed bidding process, amassing a staggering sum of ₹4,669 crore (US$580 million).
A plethora of corporations partook in the frenzied bidding for franchise rights spanning five years, from 2023 to 2027. Adani Group secured the Ahmedabad franchise for ₹1,289 crore (US$160 million), while Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, secured the Mumbai franchise for ₹912.99 crore (US$110 million). GMR–JSW Cricket Pvt Ltd clinched the Delhi franchise for ₹810 crore (US$100 million), Capri Global Holdings secured the Lucknow franchise for ₹757 crore (US$95 million), and Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Diageo, secured the Bangalore franchise for ₹901 crore (US$110 million).
As per Jack Genovese of Ampere Analytics, a renowned media research firm, the league ranks as the world’s second most valuable women’s sports league, trailing only the Women’s National Basketball Association in the United States. Notably, three of the five franchises—Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai Indians—also field teams in the Indian Premier League.
SCHEDULE AND BROADCASTING OF WPL 2024:-
The itinerary for the initial phase of IPL 2024 was unveiled on 24 January 2024, with the inaugural match pitting defending champions Mumbai Indians against Delhi Capitals on 23 February 2024 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, at 7:30 pm IST. The culmination of the tournament is slated for 17 March 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Sports18 has secured the television broadcasting rights, while Jio Cinema has been entrusted with digital broadcasting duties for the forthcoming season.
WPL TEAMS AND SQUADS 2024:-
Delhi Capitals: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland*, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan
Mumbai Indians: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight (withdrawn), Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux
UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell (withdrawn, replaced by Chamari Athapaththu), Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Soppadhandi Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana.
WPL prize money 2024:- Here is WPL prize money 2024 list and other awards
WPL Award in 2024 WPL prize Money in INR
1.WPL Winners Rs 6 Crore
2. WPL Runners-up Rs 3 Crore
.3 WPL Orange Cap Rs 5 Lakh
4. WPL Purple Cap Rs 5 Lakh
5. Player of the Match (Final) Rs 2.5 Lakh
