The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is leaving no stone unturned to make their dream project, the Women’s IPL (WIPL), one of the biggest sporting events, and they are just two steps away from completing their major preparations for the tournament.
The BCCI has reportedly decided on the venues and the number of matches for the inaugural edition of the WIPL, while Viacom 18 has secured the media rights for 5 years for a whopping INR 951 crores.
The board has also invited bids for the 5 franchisees for the WIPL, followed by an auction for the players.
Multiple reports have emerged that the four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT) didn't show any interest in bidding for a team in the WIPL.
Meanwhile, CSK’s decision not to buy an IPL team left England women's cricketer Kate Cross disappointed. She reacted to the news with a crying emoji. Notably, Cross had expressed her fondness for CSK several times on social media in the past.
Even the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) have reportedly decided not to enter the WIPL.
As reported by Cricbuzz, the Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) formally submitted their bids for the WIPL franchises on Monday.
Apart from these men’s IPL teams, big corporate houses like the Adani Group and Torrent Pharma have expressed interest, while others like Uday Kotak, Chettinad Cement, JK Cement, AWL Appollo, Nilgiri, and Haldiram have also formally submitted expressions of interest in buying WIPL teams.
