The Rs 4669.99 crore that has been committed for the purchase of five franchises in the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Wednesday marks yet another valuation milestone delivered out of cricket’s financial centre.
Adani Sportsline, owned by one of the world’s richest men – Gautam Adani – bid a massive Rs 1289 cr for the right to own the Ahmedabad team in WPL. The successful bidders of three of the five WPL teams already run Indian Premier League outfits – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively.
While the owners of Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians expressed their delight in landing successful bids, Kolkata Knight Riders, which fell short, declared it was only a matter of time before they enter the fray too.
Successful Bidder City Amount in Rs
Adani Sportsline Pvt. Ltd Ahmedabad 1289 cr
Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd (MI) Mumbai 912.99 cr
Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd (RCB) Bengaluru 901 cr
JSW GMR Cricket Pvt. Ltd (DC) Delhi 810 cr
Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd Lucknow 757 cr
As The New York Times noted, the combined bid total marks one of the biggest one-day financial injections in the history of women’s sports. The average price of Rs 934 cr ($114 million) committed for each team has dwarfed valuations in more established American leagues like the W.N.B.A., and signaled the lucrative potential of the women’s game in the world’s richest cricket market. It also made the WPL the latest test case for women’s competitions attempting to attract audiences and sponsors, and drive profits, comparable with the most lucrative men’s tournaments.
Delhi Capitals Chairman and Co-Owner Parth Jindal:
“We at Delhi Capitals could not be more proud to become owners of a WPL franchise. What makes it even more special is that it’s from Delhi. Through our academies that are spread across NCR we have seen the amount of interest and talent there is amongst girls and women of all ages and I have no doubt the WPL will give passionate women cricketers the platform they deserve to show their skills. I am truly excited to be part of this revolution and can’t wait to get started. I would like to congratulate the BCCI and all the other owners who have shown tremendous interest in the women’s game. India has been home to the world’s best men’s T20 league since 2008 and from 2023 our great country will be home to the world’s best women’s T20 league.”
Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra:
“The Women’s Premier League is a potential gamechanger, just like the IPL was. The women’s game has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and the WPL promises to take it to new heights. Delhi has been always been welcoming, loving and supportive of its IPL team, and I am confident that the emotion will be identical for our women’s team who we can’t wait to welcome to our Capitals family.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore chairman Prathamesh Mishra:
“At the core of Diageo, is the value of gender inclusivity that embraces diversity in the broadest possible sense and this enterprise champions us to welcome and celebrate women’s cricket for who they are and the value they bring in the journey of this sport, Cricket. Therefore, it is a fitting asset in the right direction for Diageo India owned franchise. We held back all our investments in overseas teams to own a team that aligns with this philosophy and core value, and it gives us immense pleasure to have marked this accomplishment positively. We really look forward to bringing the first season of Women’s IPL to our most loyal and lovely fans.”
Mumbai Indians’ Nita Ambani:
“This is a historic moment for Indian cricket, and we are delighted to be a part of it. India’s women cricketers have always made the nation proud in the global sporting arena – be it the World Cup, Asian Cup or the recent Commonwealth Games. This new Women’s League will once again shine a global spotlight on the talent, power, and potential of our girls.”
Mumbai Indians’ Akash Ambani:
“I am happy to extend a warm welcome to our women’s cricket team, the fourth franchise to join the Mumbai Indians family. The launch of the Women’s Premier League is a historic moment and I’m proud that India is at the forefront of this change. I eagerly look forward to the upcoming season and am confident that the WPL will have a lasting impact on the empowerment of women in sports. As we bring the MI experience and best practices into the women’s game, we look forward to seeing our women’s team excel and inspire future generations of female athletes.”
Pranav Adani, Director of Adani Enterprises:
“The Indian women’s cricket team has been doing exceptionally well – and a cricket league for women is a significant step in creating more opportunities for women through sports.
“Cricket is an inseparable part of the country’s fabric and Adani Sportsline was keen to begin their association with the sport with the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. While I wish every other franchise the very best, I look forward to the Gujarat Giants standing out as the top team in this new, exciting league.”
Rajasthan Royals statement:
We would like to extend our best wishes for this new beginning to all the successful bidders and also congratulate the BCCI on bringing the Women’s Premier League to life. It is a huge step forward for Indian cricket, and will prove to be a game changer for women’s sports across the globe.
At the Royals, we have been deeply committed to the women’s game and that will continue. We are significantly investing in our new talent hunt ‘Cricket Ka Ticket’ to find the best female cricketers from across the country and provide them with a development pathway to the new Women’s Premier League and hopefully the India team, while our High Performance Centre in Nagpur continues to serve as a hub for both female and male athletes through world-class coaching to aid in their overall progression. With the objective of strengthening women’s grassroots cricket even further, we will also continue to invest in organising and expanding competitions such as the Rajasthan Royals Women’s Cup which can prove to be a stepping stone for potential female cricketing superstars of Indian cricket. Our intention is to keep scaling these investments and also look at other avenues to enable the growth of women’s cricket in India, and take it to the next level.
That being said, we are obviously disappointed not to have won the bid for a team in this historic inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League. We always knew there was going to be a lot of competition given the IPL’s success in the men’s format, but still were hopeful of securing a women’s franchise to extend the Royals Family and hope there will be an opportunity to do so in the future.
Kolkata Knight Riders statement:
Congratulations to the 5 new teams at the WPL. We tried very hard to bring WPL to our fans in Kolkata & came really close. Needless to say we will find ways to keep contributing to the growth & development of women’s cricket in India. Kolkata as a venue is still open! It’s just a matter of time before we bring WPL to Eden.
Related report
Women’s Premier League: BCCI scores Rs4670cr from sale of 5 teams
