Women's Premier League (cricket)
| Countries | India |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Board of Control for Cricket in India |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, India |
| Format | T20 |
| First edition | 2023 |
| Latest edition | 2026 |
| Next edition | 2027 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin format followed by playoffs |
| Current champion | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2nd title) |
| Most successful | Mumbai Indians Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2 titles each) |
| Most runs | Nat Sciver-Brunt (1,348) |
| Most wickets | Amelia Kerr (54) |
| TV | India Star Sports (Television) JioHotstar (Digital) International List of broadcasters |
| Website | wplt20 |
| Seasons |
|---|
The Women's Premier League (WPL) is a professional women's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).[1] Founded in 2022, it features five city-based franchise teams.[2] The WPL is one of the fastest-growing cricket leagues in the world.[3]
It is held annually since the first season in 2023.[4][5] Since 2026, it is held between January and February with a dedicated window in the ICC Future Tours Programme.[6]
As of 2026, there have been four seasons of the tournament with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru having won two titles each.
History
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| 2025 | Mumbai Indians (2) |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2) |
The first major women's Twenty20 competition in India was the Women's T20 Challenge. This started as a single-match tournament in 2018, and was expanded to a three-team, four-match competition held in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
In February 2022, then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announced plans to establish a women's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the major men's Twenty20 franchise cricket competition in India, replacing the Women's T20 Challenge.[7] By August plans were more advanced[8][9] and in October the BCCI announced that they were considering a five-team tournament which would take place in March 2023.[10][11] This league was informally known as the Women's Indian Premier League; then BCCI Secretary Jay Shah clarified that the BCCI officially named it the Women's Premier League.[2][12]
On 28 January 2023, the BCCI invited bids for the league's title sponsorship rights until 2027.[13] Tata Group won the bid for an undisclosed amount.[14] Mumbai Indians were the inaugural winners of the tournament, beating Delhi Capitals in the final.[15]
Organisation
The league's structure is based on the structure of the IPL.[16][17][18]
Initially there are five teams, each playing against each other in a double round-robin format, and the three teams finishing with the most points entering the playoff stages of the competition.[19][20] The Board plans to increase the number of matches and franchises in future seasons if the league is a success.[21]
The first season of the league took place from 4 to 26 March 2023, and featured 22 matches, all held at Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.[21][22] Tickets were made available free to women during the first season.[23]
The second season of the WPL took place from 23 February to 17 March 2024. The tournament maintained its structure with five teams competing in a double round-robin format, followed by playoffs. Matches were held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their first title by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final. Ellyse Perry led the season in runs with 347, while Shreyanka Patil topped the wickets chart with 13 dismissals.
The league's mascot, Shakti, is a tigress wearing a sky blue cricket jersey.[24]
Teams
As of the 2026 season, the league has five teams based in cities across India.
Editions and results
| Season | Winner | Winning margin | Runners-up | Final venue | Winning Captain | Player of the match | Player of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians 134/3 (19.3 overs) |
Mumbai Indians won by 7 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 131/9 (20 overs) |
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | Harmanpreet Kaur (MI) | Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) | Hayley Matthews (MI) |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru 115/2 (19.3 overs) |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 113 (18.3 overs) |
Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi | Smriti Mandhana (RCB) | Sophie Molineux (RCB) | Deepti Sharma (UPW) |
| 2025 | Mumbai Indians 149/7 (20 overs) |
Mumbai Indians won by 8 runs Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 141/9 (20 overs) |
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | Harmanpreet Kaur (MI) | Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) | |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru 204/4 (19.4 overs) |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 6 wickets Scorecard |
Delhi Capitals 203/4 (20 overs) |
Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, Vadodara | Smriti Mandhana (RCB) | Sophie Devine (GG) | |
Performance record
| Teams | 2023 (5) |
2024 (5) |
2025 (5) |
2026 (5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Capitals | 1st (Runners-up) | 1st (Runners-up) | 1st (Runners-up) | 3rd (Runners-up) |
| Gujarat Giants | 5th (League Stage) | 5th (League Stage) | 3rd (Lost in eliminator) | 2nd (Lost in eliminator) |
| Mumbai Indians | 2nd (Champions) | 2nd (Lost in eliminator) | 2nd (Champions) | 4th (League Stage) |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 4th (League Stage) | 3rd (Champions) | 4th (League Stage) | 1st (Champions) |
| UP Warriorz | 3rd (Lost in eliminator) | 4th (League Stage) | 5th (League Stage) | 5th (League Stage) |
| Team | Appearances | Best result | Statistics | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Latest | Played | Won | Lost | Tied+W | Tied+L | NR | Win% | ||
| Mumbai Indians | 4 | 2023 | 2026 | Champions (2023, 2025) | 37 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62.16 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Champions (2024, 2026) | 35 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52.85 | |||
| Delhi Capitals | Runners-up (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) | 37 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59.45 | |||
| Gujarat Giants | Eliminator (2025, 2026) | 34 | 13 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.23 | |||
| UP Warriorz | Eliminator (2023) | 33 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34.84 | |||
Records and statistics
A summary of the most notable statistical records associated with the tournament is provided below:
| Batting records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most runs[26] | Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) | 1,348 |
| Highest score[27] | 100* (vs RCB, 26 January 2026) | |
| Most hundreds | 1 | |
| Most fifties[28] | 12 | |
| Highest partnership[29] | Smriti Mandhana & Georgia Voll (RCB) | 165 (vs DC, 5 February 2026) |
| Most sixes[30] | Shafali Verma (DC) | 53 |
| Bowling records | ||
| Most wickets[31] | Amelia Kerr (MI) | 54 |
| Best bowling figures[32] | Ellyse Perry (RCB) | 6/15 (vs MI, 12 March 2024) |
| Fielding | ||
| Most dismissals (wicket-keeper)[33] | Richa Ghosh (RCB) | 36 |
| Most catches (fielder)[34] | Ashleigh Gardner (GG) | 23 |
| Team records | ||
| Highest total[35] | UP Warriorz | 225/5 (20 overs vs RCB, 8 March 2025) |
| Lowest total[35] | Gujarat Giants | 64 (15.1 overs vs MI, 4 March 2023) |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
- As of 5 February 2026
Awards
Financial background
The BCCI intends to distribute 80% of the profits from the competition among the franchise owners during the first five years. For the next five seasons, 60% of the profits will be shared, and from seasons 11 to 15, 50% of the profits will be distributed. Additionally, 80% of the revenue from the central licensing rights for the competition will be shared with the franchises. Franchises will also generate revenue through merchandise, ticket sales and advertising.[21][36]
Player auction
The first auction to purchase players for each franchise was held on 13 February 2023 at Mumbai.[37][38] Around 1,500 players registered their names.[39][40] Each franchise had ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) to spend and had to purchase between 15 and 18 players, six of whom could be overseas players.[16][37]
The base price of an uncapped player at the first auction was between ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) and ₹20 lakh (US$24,000). For capped players it was between ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) and ₹50 lakh (US$59,000).[41] In future seasons the purse size for each franchise will be increased by ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) each year.[21]
In the first auction a total of ₹59.50 crore (US$7.0 million) was spent to purchase 87 players. Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player purchased in the initial auction; she signed for Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹3.4 crore (US$400,000) and was appointed as the team's captain.[42]
Unlike the Indian Premier League, which featured players from the Pakistan men's team for just the inaugural season in 2008, the Women's Premier League did not include players from the women's team since the first season.[43] However, like the IPL, players from Bangladesh were not selected for the 2026 season, due to geopolitical tensions between the two nations.[44]
Broadcasting
In January 2023, Viacom18 announced that it had acquired the global media rights for TV and digital broadcasts of the tournament. The contract run for five years and was worth 951 crore.[45] The initial season of the league broadcast in India on the Sports18 TV channel and the JioCinema app, both of which are owned by Viacom18.[46]
The first season of the competition was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports,[47] in Australia by Fox Sports Australia, in the United States and Canada by Willow TV and in South Africa by SuperSports.[48] In New Zealand it is aired by Sky Sport, in Malaysia and Hong Kong by Astro Cricket while in mainland China by Star Sports. Furthermore in the Caribbean islands is live on Sportsmax tv.
After the Viacom 18 and Disney Star merger in 2025, Star Sports and JioHotstar became the official Television and Digital broadcasters respectively in India.
See also
References
- ^ @JayShah (25 January 2023). "The @BCCI has named the league – Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Women's IPL: BCCI earns Rs 4669.99 crore windfall for 5 teams". Rediff. 25 January 2023.
- ^ Lavalette, Tristan. "Why The Women's Premier Cricket League Has Found Success". Forbes. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "'Let the journey begin': BCCI garners Rs 4669.99 crore for sale of 5 Women's Premier League teams". The Times of India. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "CCI, DY Patil to host WPL from March 4–26; Mumbai-Ahmedabad to play opening game". Cricbuzz. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Kishore, Shashank (4 November 2024). "WPL moves to January-February from 2026". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "BCCI plans to start a full-fledged women's IPL in 2023: Sourav Ganguly". India Today. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Acharya, Shayan (12 August 2022). "Women's IPL: BCCI exploring late February–March 2023 window for the T20 tournament". Sportstar. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "BCCI to hold inaugural Women's Indian Premier League in March 2023". Outlook. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "BCCI considers 5 teams, 2 venues, 20 league matches for inaugural WIPL". Cricbuzz. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Inaugural Women's IPL likely to be played from March 3 to 26". ESPNcricinfo. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "'Let the journey begin': BCCI garners Rs 4669.99 crore for sale of 5 Women's Premier League teams". The Times of India. 26 January 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "BCCI invites bids for Women's Premier League title sponsorship rights for 2023-2027". Deccan Herald. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "WPL Title Sponsor: IPL". Loksatta. 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Sciver-Brunt and Wong lead Mumbai Indians to inaugural WPL title". ESPNcricinfo. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Women's Indian Premier League franchises go for £465m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Stunning Prices for Cricket Teams Are a Milestone for Women's Sports". NY times. 26 January 2023.
- ^ "'Life changing'..." Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Game Changer..." The Guardian. 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Women's IPL 2023 Format, Rules". Time of Sports. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d महिला आयपीएल लिलावात, ४००० कोटींची कमाई! [Women IPL minted 4000 crore!]. Lokmat (in Marathi). 23 January 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "WPL Auction starts from 13 Feb 2023". Worldcup.org.in. 11 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Bcci Finally Announce Tickets Rates Starts From Rupees 100". 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Women's Premier League: BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Unveils Official Mascot 'Shakti'". Ndtvsports.com.
- ^ "WPL – Team Performance". ESPNcricinfo. 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy batting most runs career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy batting most runs innings". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy batting most fifties career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy fow highest partnerships for any wicket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy batting most sixes career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy bowling most wickets career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy bowling best figures innings". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy keeping most dismissals career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Women's Premier League Trophy fielding most catches career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Women's Premier League Trophy team highest innings totals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "'Life changing'..." Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ a b Nagraj Gollapudi (2023) Charlotte Edwards to coach Mumbai's WPL team, ESPNcricinfo, 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Women's Premier League auction in Mumbai". Times of India. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (6 February 2023). "Women's Premier League to begin on March 4".
- ^ "around 1K sing up for WPL auction". news18.com.
- ^ "Haldiram, Infosys, 10 IPL teams among 30-plus companies to show interest in buying teams in Women's IPL: Report". TimesNow. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Dixit, Ravi (3 March 2023). "WPL 2023 Schedule, Teams, Captains, Start Date, Squad, Venues, Prediction". Cricable. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "No Pakistani players in inaugural Women's Premier League auction".
- ^ "Top 5: Bangladesh Players Who Deserved a Spot in WPL 2026".
- ^ "Women's IPL: Viacom 18 wins media rights, to pay INR 7.09 crore per match". ESPNcricinfo. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Women's IPL Media Rights Bagged By Viacom 18 For A Sensational Rs 951 Crore Deal". Latestly. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Women's Premier League: 2023 season of women's version of IPL to be shown live on Sky Sports this March". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ WPL 2023, where to watch live: TV channels & live streaming | Women’s Premier League, Wisden online, 2 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
Further reading
- Kishore, Shashank (3 March 2023). "WPL – a league long overdue, and already making dreams come true". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- Schutt, Megan (10 March 2023). "India's Women's Premier League is a giant leap: we are hyped as much as the men". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2023.