'Let the journey begin': Jay Shah reveals name of Women's IPL; MI, RCB, DC buy teams

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday took to his official Twitter handle to announce the name of the Women's IPL after the completion of the bidding process for teams. Shah announced that the Women's IPL will be called the Women's Premier League (WPL) and the inaugural season will feature five teams. Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals are the franchises from the men's competition to have successfully acquired teams in the new women's tournament. 

"Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of the inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs.4669.99 Cr in total bid," Shah wrote on Twitter.

"This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity," he added. 

"The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women's cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder. The @BCCI has named the league - Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin...." Shah concluded. 

Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs.4669.99 Cr in total bid. This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 25, 2023

way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity. The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women's cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder.

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 25, 2023

The @BCCI has named the league - Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin....

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 25, 2023

BCCI earns over Rs. 4000 crores from sale of teams

The BCCI earned a Rs 4669.99 crore windfall for the sale of five teams in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) with Adani Sportsline buying the most expensive franchise for Rs 1289 crore.

The Ahmedabad franchise went to Adani while IPL team owners Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals successfully bid Rs 912.99 crore, Rs 901 crore, and Rs 810 crore respectively to enter the WPL. Capri Global Holdings got the Lucknow franchise for Rs 757 crore.

Earlier this month, the BCCI sold the media rights to Viacom18 for Rs 951 crore, getting a Rs 7.09 crore per match value for five years.

(With inputs from ANI)