Tata Group secures title rights of WPL for the first 5 editions - Reports 

Tata Group has bagged the title rights for the newly launched Women's Premier League (WPL) after reaching an understanding with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, February 21.

The corporate giants already hold the rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is slated to take place right after the inaugural edition of the WPL.

Tata Group clinched the rights to the IPL last year after Chinese handset manufacturer Vivo pulled out of their contract.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, a joint statement by both parties is expected in a day or two. However, there is no confirmation as to what the title sponsorship was worth.

The BCCI was not short of suitors when it came to the rights to acquire a franchise or even broadcast rights for that matter. The five franchises amounted to a sum of ₹4670 crore after Adani Group, Reliance, RCB (Diageo), Delhi Capitals, and Capri Global launched successful bids, among which the Adani group submitted the highest bid to win the rights for the Ahmedabad-based franchise, which was later renamed the Gujarat Giants.

The tender document for the title rights was released by the BCCI well in time for the bidders to consider it and was up for sale till February 9. The document read:

"The detailed terms and conditions governing the tender process including eligibility requirements, process for submissions of bids, rights and obligations of the title sponsor, etc. are contained in the 'Request for Proposal' ("RFP") which will be made available on receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 1,00,000 (Indian Rupees One Lakh Only) plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax."

The statement continued:

"The procedure to procure the RFP documents is enlisted in Annexure A to this notice. The RFP will be available for purchase till February 9, 2023."

The WPL's broadcast rights were bagged by Viacom 18, who also got hold of IPL's digital rights from the Disney group.

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WPL 2023 will begin from March 4 onwards

The inaugural edition of the competition is scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 26. All five franchises have assembled their squads following the auction on February 13.

All matches will be played in Mumbai across two venues - the DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium.

Who will win the inaugural edition of the WPL? Let us know what you think.

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