BCCI considers 5 teams, 2 venues, 20 league matches for inaugural WIPL

BCCI considers 5 teams, 2 venues, 20 league matches for inaugural WIPL

The BCCI is pondering having five teams in the Women’s IPL with as many as five overseas players permitted in the Playing XI, Cricbuzz understands. The tentative window has been set for March 2023 – after the T20 Women’s World Cup and before the start of Men’s IPL.

A maximum of four of the overseas players in the XI can be from the ICC Full Member nations, it’s being considered, whereas the remaining one can be from an Associate Nation.

The board is also debating between two options of selling the IPL teams:

Zone wise – North (Dharamsala/Jammu), South (Kochi/Vizag), Central (Indore/Nagpur/Raipur), East (Ranchi/Cuttack), North East (Guwahati) and West (Pune/Rajkot) – with matches held at non-IPL venues) and existing city-wise like with Men’s IPL (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata – with matches held at IPL venues).

A final decision on the proposal for venues will be taken by the IPL chairperson and the BCCI office bearers. Teams could play each other twice in the league stage a la IPL, with the team finishing top of the table qualifying directly for the final. The second and third-placed teams will be playing an Eliminator.

Unlike the IPL though, a caravan style itinerary is being considered which can see a bunch of matches being played at a venue before the entire tournament relocates to a different venue. IPL 2021 was played in this manner before it had to be relocated to the UAE due to growing Covid concerns.

With only 20 league games in consideration, as few as two venues will be involved per season for the WIPL. So the inaugural 2023 season could be played at two of the aforementioned venues, the 2024 season at the other two and 2025 at the remaining one plus one of the venues of the 2023 season.

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