Owners of MI, RCB, and DC win bids to own franchises in the WPL; Capri Global and Adani Global claim the other 2 teams 

The highly anticipated auction process for the acquisition of five franchises in the Women's Indian Premier League (WPL) revealed the ownership of the teams. The winners of the auction were revealed after the sealed bids opened on Wednesday, January 25.

The results revealed the top five bids, which have earned the right to own a franchise ahead of the league's inaugural edition. The highest bid of ₹1289 crore was made by Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd.

Other sets of winning bids were made by the owners of Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Capri Global, which owns a franchise in the International League T20 (ILT20) as well.

1. Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd - 1289 Crore | Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd (MI) - 912.99 | Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd (RCB) - 901 | JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd (DC) - 810 | Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd - 757.

With MI, RCB, and DC piping their peers with their bids, the franchises will be set up in their respective cities of Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, respectively. The other two teams are slated to play their home matches in Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

It was reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will reportedly earn around ₹4000 crore for the ownership of the five WPL franchises. The cumulative sum amassed across the winning bid made by the five groups amounts to ₹4669.99 crore across a 10-year span.

The likes of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) bowed out of the race early despite expressing an interest in acquiring a team in the WPL.

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WPL is expected to take place in March 2023

To date, women's representation in the cash-rich IPL has come in the form of a Women's T20 Challenge. The tri-series was usually played during the playoffs of the men's event.

Following the success of the mini-tournament, coupled with the rise of women's cricket in India as well as the rest of the world, the idea for a separate franchise league came to the fore.

The five teams are expected to play each other in a trademark round-robin format prior to the playoffs. A squad of 18 players can be forged through an auction, which will take place in the first week of February.

As far as the broadcast deal for the league is concerned, Viacom 18 secured the rights following a bid of ₹951 crore (US$117.5 million) for a five-year period.

Will WPL be a success right away like the men's edition? Let us know what you think.

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