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Women's IPL: BCCI reserves March 2023 as tentative window for inaugural season

The Women's IPL has been talked about for a long and is finally closer to reality. The BCCI is adamant about launching the tournament next year, with March being reserved as the tentative window.

Womens IPL, WIPL: BCCI reserves March 2023 as tentative window for inaugural season-ayh
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Bengaluru, First Published Aug 12, 2022, 4:08 PM IST

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was already a super-hit since its opening season in 2008. It has grown strong with each passing season, making itself the world's biggest domestic Twenty20 (T20) tournament. While it happens to be the men's version of the sport, something similar has been long talked about for the women's version. After years of discussions and uncertainty, the stage is probably set for the Women's IPL (WIPL) to debut. As per reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is adamant about launching the competition next year. Meanwhile, March has been reserved as the tentative window to kick off its inaugural season.

According to ESPNCricinfo, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is in serious discussions to get the WIPL underway, while the board has already rejigged the women's domestic calendar to accommodate the competition. The domestic season for the women generally ranges from November-April, which is likely to begin on October 11 this time around with the T20 commitments, and end with the inter-zonal one-day event.

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It is unclear how many teams would feature in the WIPL. However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had stated that it would likely be five or six. "I am thrilled at the kind of response we have got from stakeholders," he had told PTI, whereas reports also conveyed that many existing IPL franchises were eager to own a team in the tournament.

Among the groups interested in owning the WIPL sides are Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Knight Riders Group, which owns Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and three other global T20 franchises. The latter already owns the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Women's CPL (Caribbean Premier League), which would get its maiden season underway later this year.

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The BCCI is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) next month, where discussions regarding the WIPL are expected to occur, including the media rights sale. The excitement for the tournament has increased even further with India's silver medal-winning campaign in the just-concluded Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham.

Indian women players like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana have already been vocal about WIPL. At the same time, Mithali Raj also expressed her desire to come out of retirement to feature in the competition. Speaking to ICC's 100% Cricket podcast, the latter had said, "I'm keeping that option open. I've not yet decided. There are a few more months before the Women's IPL happens. It would be lovely to be part of the first edition of the Women's IPL."

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