The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) have announced that five new franchises are set to compete in the inaugural season of the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL). Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai are the successful host cities, with a combined £465m input from new team owners - five of which currently oversee the IPL's Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore franchises.

 

Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, said: "This is a historic day for cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural WPL broke the records of the inaugural men's IPL in 2008. 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."

The tournament's introduction meets calls for a women's competition having seen a three-team Women's T20 Challenge coincide with the men's IPL since 2018. President of the BCCI, Roger Binny, said: "I congratulate the winners for making successful bids to own teams.

“The WPL will pave the way for development at the grassroots level with the inclusion of more women cricketers. I'm confident that the league will help our women cricketers shine on the global stage."

The BCCI has already sold the tournament's media rights for the next five years to Viacom 18 for $117m which translates into per-match-value of $870,393.