Indian Cricket Board auctions Women’s IPL teams for $572.5 million

• The Indian cricket board earned $572.5 million on Wednesday.
• The BCCI also sold the men’s IPL rights for $6.2 billion for five seasons last year.
• Three of the five women’s league franchises already have IPL teams.

The Indian cricket board earned $572.5 million on Wednesday when it announced the winners of the bids to own five teams in the inaugural Women’s Premier League Twenty20 tournament in March.

The women’s league will complement the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) men’s tournament for the world’s richest and most powerful cricketing body.

“Today is a historic day in cricket because the bidding for the inaugural #WPL teams broke the records set by the inaugural men’s IPL in 2008!” The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Jay Shah, tweeted.

Shah stated that the board had “gained” approximately $572.5 million from the five winning bids.

“This is the start of a revolution in women’s cricket, and it paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our female cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity,” he added.

Three of the five women’s league franchises already have IPL teams: the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The other two are Adani Sportsline Pvt. Limited, which is owned by Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Limited.

According to the BCCI, Adani’s company made the highest bid of approximately $158 million for ownership of the Ahmedabad team, followed by $112 million for Mumbai, $110.4 million for Bengaluru, $99.3 million for Delhi, and $92.7 million for Lucknow.

The announcement comes just days after the BCCI announced a $116.7 million windfall after Viacom18 won the media rights to the new league’s first five seasons.

The BCCI also sold the men’s IPL rights for $6.2 billion for five seasons last year, and Viacom 18 — a joint venture between tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s Network 18 conglomerate and the US group Paramount Global — bought the IPL streaming rights for $3.04 billion.

The new league, according to Shah, will “bring necessary reforms in women’s cricket” and help create a new ecosystem to expand the sport.

Also Read

Matthew Mott offers Ben Stokes to end retirement and play again

Ben Stokes to come out of retirement and join England's title defence...