MUMBAI: At least eight of the ten IPL franchises from the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will compete to purchase teams in the IPL for women.
On January 25, when it opens the sealed bids, the BCCI is expected to reveal the franchises and the winning cities that will feature in the Women’s IPL.
Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and the IPL’s defending champion Gujarat Titans will all make bids, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, the two remaining IPL teams, have not yet confirmed if they have purchased the tender document or whether they would participate in the bidding for the five-team Women’s IPL, which is set to begin in March.
The tender document, which the BCCI made available for purchase starting on January 3, has been purchased by a number of organisations besides the IPL clubs.
The deadline for queries from interested bidders is January 13, and the technical bids must be submitted for consideration by the BCCI and the Mumbai-based law firm Argus Partners by January 23.
In the tender, the BCCI has named 10 Indian cities and the venues, allowing one entity to submit a bid for multiple cities. There is no predetermined base price, and offers will be considered for a ten-year period (2023-32).
According to the BCCI, one of the requirements for qualifying specified in the tender document is that the bidder’s audited net worth must be at least INR 1000 crore as of March 31, 2022. The BCCI has stated that companies involved in consortiums or joint ventures are not eligible.
The BCCI listed the goals it was looking for in a prospective winning bidder and said, “establishing a stable, successful, financially secure, long-term Franchise to participate in the League; ensuring the widest coverage and the widest possible audience for the League; assisting in the development of the game of women’s cricket in India at all levels; maximizing and enhancing exposure, wherever possible, for each of the official sponsors of the League; increasing and enhancing exposure for women’s cricket in India both within India and the rest of the world.”
The WIPL’s slot in the tender has been specified by the BCCI as March. Even though the BCCI has not officially confirmed the dates, it is anticipated that the inaugural season would begin around March 5 and end around March 23 as per ESPNcricinfo. (ANI)