For the first season of the Women's Indian Premier League in 2023, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering a late February–March window.
The tournament is set to start soon after the Women's T20 World Cup concludes in February and will likely go on until the men's IPL kicks out in the latter week of March or the first week of April, according to multiple sources in the Board who spoke with Sportstar.
The Board would prefer to start the competition immediately after the Women's T20 World Cup, which is anticipated to end on February 26. But preparations are being made for the logistics.
“We are looking to start in (late) February next year. As of now, that’s the window we are looking at,” a BCCI official said.
“We also need to look at the travel plans for the players who will be featuring in the Women’s T20 World Cup and then take a call accordingly on the exact date. But we are definitely looking at a late February-March window...”
Beginning with a four or six-team competition, some of the top men's IPL clubs are likely to win the franchises.
The first edition of the competition could be held in multiple cities as a warm-up for the men's IPL, although that has not yet been decided.
Naturally, there were a number of considerations to be made. A formal vote must be conducted in the annual general meeting, according to a board insider.
The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had previously stated to Sportstar that the women's IPL would take place the next year and that numerous franchises had expressed interest in purchasing teams.
When the women's IPL is approved, even teams like the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings said they would be interested in owning a team.
The Board has adjusted the domestic women's cricket schedule this time around as well. The season is scheduled to start on October 11 with a T20 match and end in February 2023 with an inter-zonal ODI match, per the BCCI's schedule.
“The Board is in talks with all the stakeholders and we want to ensure that we put up a successful tournament,” an insider said. Even some of the franchise officials told this publication that there have been informal talks with the Board representatives in the recent past, but “there is no official communication yet...”
The Board has been running a women's T20 Challenge since 2018, and it is anticipated that after the BCCI AGM, which is set to take place next month, the planning for the first WIPL season would pick up speed.
