The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is a new T20 franchise cricket league for women in India. It is the first cricket competition for women in the country and a major step forward for the sport. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the 2023 Women’s Premier League in India. The league will be played in a T20 format that is shorter than the traditional five-day test.
The first player auction will take place on February 13 to purchase players through open bidding and determine the squads for each team. Nearly 1,500 candidates registered for 90 spots – including 30 internationals – in the player auctions.
The tournament will take place from March 4 to March 26. The inaugural WPL 2023 will see five teams compete for the title: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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WPL 2023 Opening Ceremony
A spectacular Opening Ceremony is an important part of a sporting event, attracting hundreds of millions of television viewers and thousands of spectators. Whether you’re planning your own Opening Ceremony or enlisting the help of an event management company, it takes plenty of planning and creativity to create a memorable, engaging event that will excite and delight both fans and players.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced plans for the first WPL in 2023 around this time last year, and it’s backed by a growing demand for a competitive women’s tournament. The opening ceremony wil featurel Bollywood stars Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani, along with Punjabi-Canadian singer AP Dhillon. The event will take place on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
Schedule
A total of 22 matches are scheduled to be played during the inaugural season, including 20 league matches and 2 Playoff games. The WPL will feature four double headers. The league will feature a double round-robin format with the top three teams qualifying directly for the playoffs.
The tournament is set to kick off on March 4, with a clash between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians. An eliminator game will be played on 24 March and a final on March 26.
| Date | Time (IST) | Match | Venue |
| March 4 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 5 | 3:30 PM | RCB vs Delhi Capitals | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 5 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 6 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs RCB | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 7 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 8 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants vs RCB | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 9 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 10 | 7:30 PM | RCB vs UP Warriorz | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 11 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 12 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 13 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs RCB | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 14 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 15 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz vs RCB | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 16 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 18 | 3:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 18 | 7:30 PM | RCB vs Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 20 | 3:30 PM | Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 20 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 21 | 3:30 PM | RCB vs Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 21 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 24 | 7:30 PM | Eliminator | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 26 | 7:30 PM | Final | Brabourne Stadium |
Venues
All the WPL matches in India will be held at two venues – DY Patil Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI has chosen these venues as they will help to reduce travel problems for players who would have to fly to India to play the league in a short window after the Women?s T20 World Cup concludes in South Africa.
As mentioned earlier, the league will feature five teams with the likes of record-five times World Cup winning captain Meg Lanning leading Delhi Capitals while another Aussie Beth Mooney is in charge of Gujarat Giants. Other teams led by India powerhouses Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will also be in the fray.
Live Streaming
Whether you’re a cricket fan or not, the WPL is a must-watch event. It’s a great way to find new talent and watch top players from around the world. The league is also a great way for young cricketers to get a taste of elite-level competition before they break into the senior national team.
The league will be a cash-rich tournament, with Viacom 18 buying the sole TV and online broadcast rights for Rs 951 starting from March 4. It has bought media rights for the first five seasons, and is confident that the league will be a big success.
Fans can watch live matches on a variety of devices, including smart TVs, laptops, desktops and mobile phones. The league will be televised on Sports 18 network. You can also watch WPL 2023 online on Jio Cinema for free. Both of which are owned by Viacom18.
What’s the Impact of WPL on Women’s Cricket?
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is the biggest franchise competition for women’s cricket. With five teams, the league is set to attract huge attention from cricketing nations and investors. And this could make a big difference in the future.
It is a game changer for women’s cricket in a country that has been obsessed with men’s cricket since the Indian Premier League started 15 years ago. A three-week franchise competition that is sweeping cricket fans across India, WPL may transform women’s cricket in the country and elsewhere. It offers female players life-changing sums of money and is expected to become the largest franchise competition in the world.
The league will be a major boost for cricket fans and will help make the sport more accessible to people who don’t know much about it. It is also expected to make the sport more popular and increase the number of followers, which will in turn improve the standard of play.
It’s a platform
There is no doubt that women’s cricket in India has been given a new lease of life by the introduction of the IPL. It has transformed the sport, introducing the new generation to the game and providing them with a platform where they could earn their own money and recognition.
There are many girls from small towns and villages who have travelled to Mumbai for this first edition of the WPL, having fought their way through a series of hardships. They have faced societal pressure and resistance, and yet they are here – in the city of dreams – to fulfill their dream of becoming professional cricketers.
It is this kind of hope that is needed in India to keep young girls from giving up on their dreams. If WPL can help them achieve their goals, it will have a positive impact on the future of women’s cricket in India. It will also provide a platform for young players to learn from the best and showcase their skills.
It’s a chance
The WPL has provided Indian girls a chance to go the extra mile in cricket. They’ve got to play against internationals, and they’re getting the exposure that’s been lacking in the domestic set-up for a long time.
But what’s more, it’s a chance to play for a team they can call their own. Players like Delhi Capitals’ Meg Lanning, who was a part of the Under-19 World Cup winning team and now plays for Mumbai Indians, says she sees it as a massive moment for women’s cricket.
The fact that there’s a league of this scale makes it even more likely for the game to grow and thrive, even in India where it’s so popular and lucrative. It’s also a huge step towards bringing women’s cricket to the big stage. The WPL has the potential to become the equivalent of the men’s IPL in terms of fanbase, but it’s a long road ahead. It’s one that will be paved by those who make it happen.
It’s a career
The WPL is an indication of the upswing in women’s cricket in India, and a further step to encourage female cricketers to take up professional sports as a career option. It has TATA Group as its title sponsor and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah, is confident that the WPL will set a template for other sports to follow suit.
The Indian Women’s National Cricket Team has been on the rise since 2017, when they reached the 50-over World Cup final in front of a record crowd. Their maiden silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and their recent win at the Under-19 World Cup are testament to that.
But there is a big gap in women’s cricket between club cricket and international cricket that the WPL will help bridge. The league will present players with situations where they can learn how to deal with pressure in a game, says Veda Krishnamurthy.