9 MARCH2023THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL) IS THE RICHEST AND MOST LUCRATIVE CRICKET LEAGUE IN THE WORLDthe men's cricket team. But the winds of change have been blowing and women have gradually found a solid footing in the world of domestic and international cricket. Come this March, women's cricket is all set to gain mass popularity with the much awaited Women Premier League. The India Cricket Women Premium League (WPL) was created as a professional cricket league to give Indian women cricketers the perfect avenue to demonstrate their abilities and compete on an even playing field with their male counterparts. WPL is created particularly for female cricketers and offers a nurturing and welcoming atmosphere for them to develop in, while also promoting the game in India.The event is conceptualized, owned and run by the BCCI. Five franchisees will compete in the inaugural season of WPL, which will be held in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in 2023. The Women's T20 Challenge, which began as a single-match event in 2018 and evolved into a three-team, three-match competition in 2019, 2020, and 2022, was the WPL's forerunner. The BCCI declared in October 2022 that they were thinking of holding a five-team event in March 2023. The Women's Indian Premier League was the informal moniker for the new competition; however, on January, 2023, the BCCI gave it the name Women's Premier League.OrganisationThe WPL's structure is based on that of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which it is the sister league to. The International Premier League (IPL) is the richest and most lucrative cricket league in the world. It ranks second in terms of value per game behind the National Football League of the United States. The competition will begin with five teams, who will compete against one another in a double round robin style. The three teams who finish with the most points advance to the playoff rounds. If the league is a success, the BCCI claims that both the number of games and teams will rise in upcoming seasons.FranchisesThe league will feature five franchises. On January 25th, 2023, several investors submitted bids for the franchise rights in a closed auction, raising a total of Rs.4,669 crore ($580 million). In response to the BCCI's request for franchise rights, numerous businesses responded. For a period of five years, from 2023 to 2027, franchise rights were sold. The rights to the Ahemdabad franchise were purchased by the Gautam Adani-led Adani Group for Rs.1,289 crore ($160 million), the Mumbai franchise by Reliance Industries' Indiawin Sports for Rs.911.99 crore
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