Mumbai to Host WIPL From March 4–26

The dates for the first-ever WIPL are out and it will take place in Mumbai. While the auctions are yet to take place, the dates and venues for the competition are out. Two stadiums in Mumbai, DY Patil and Brabourne will host WIPL from March 4 to March 26. In a conversation with PTI, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed the dates and the venue as well as the date of the auction.

The WIPL auction will be on 13 February in Mumbai. There was a slight postponement in the date of the auction as the franchises are busy with the ongoing SA20 and ILT20 leagues. The new date will give franchises time to have a thorough discussion before the WIPL auction. In the league, where each side will have a budget of 12 crores, almost 1500 players have submitted their names. To establish a squad, a club must purchase 15 players to 18 players.

How is WIPL different from men’s IPL?

The 5 teams in WIPL will be based out of Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Lucknow. India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur in a recent interview also spoke about WIPL. “When the men’s IPL started, we saw immense improvement in men’s cricket. The amount of talent in men’s cricket has increased too. The same thing is going to happen in women’s cricket also. We are going to see many talents coming into women’s cricket with the help of Women’s IPL. I am really looking forward to it,” she said.

While the men’s team is allowed to pick up only 4 overseas players, WIPL will give teams a chance to pick 5 overseas players out of which 1 will be from the associate nation. The WPL is the second-largest T20 Competition in the sport, after the Indian Premier League, with the five clubs selling for a combined total of Rs 4669.9 crore and the BCCI selling the broadcasting privileges for Rs 951. The first season will consist of 22 games, with the team that ends in the first position advancing directly to the final. The second and third-placed teams will compete in the playoffs to reach the finals.