The BCCI is planning to have 5 teams in the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL (WIPL) which is slated to begin in February-March 2023. Reports have also suggested that the tournament will be played at two venues with 20 league matches and 22 encounters in total.
Cricbuzz also said that the BCCI will likely allow teams to field 5 overseas players in one XI, but with the caveat being that 4 of those overseas players can be from ICC Full Member nations and one from an Associate Nation. Each team will be allowed to assemble a squad of a maximum of 18, which would include six overseas players.
The board is also debating between two options of selling the IPL teams: Zone wise - North (Dharamsala/Jammu), South (Kochi/Vizag), Central (Indore/Nagpur/Raipur), East (Ranchi/Cuttack), North East (Guwahati) and West (Pune/Rajkot) - with matches held at non-IPL venues), and secondly, the existing city-wise like with Men's IPL (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata - with matches held at IPL venues).
A final decision on the proposal for venues will be taken by the IPL chairperson and the BCCI office bearers.
The 5 teams will play each other twice in the league stage, with the team finishing top of the table and qualifying directly for the final. The second and third-placed teams will be playing an Eliminator.
It is also being planned that the tournament will be played at two venues with a bunch of matches being played at one venue first, while the second half being played at the next venue.
So the inaugural 2023 season could be played at two of the aforementioned venues, the 2024 season at the other two, and the 2025 season at the remaining one plus one of the venues of the 2023 season.
(Cricbuzz Report)
