Viacom18 bags WIPL media rights for Rs 951 crore

Viacom18 has bagged the media rights for the inaugural edition (till 2027) of the Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL) for Rs 951 crore. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter on Monday, January 16, to confirm the development.

He tweeted:

"Congratulations @viacom18 for winning the Women’s @IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in @BCCI and @BCCIWomen. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores, which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for next five years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket."

Shah added that it's a big win for women's cricket after pay equity was approved under new BCCI President Roger Binny's regime last year. He wrote:

"After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL @ICC @BCCIWomen"

---

BCCI likely to reveal five franchises for inaugural WIPL on January 25: Reports

As per ESPNCricinfo, the BCCI is likely to reveal the names of the five franchises that will take part in the inaugural edition of the WIPL on January 25.

The board has shortlisted 10 cities and their venues in the tender. They are Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Guwahati, Dharamsala, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

The report added that eight IPL franchises have expressed their interest in owning a team in the WIPL. They are Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians.

As per reports, the six-team tournament is scheduled to take place from March 3-26 following the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has divided the base price into five different categories – Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (uncapped players) Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh (capped). The auction is likely to take place in early February.