On Tuesday, February 14, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the timetable for the first edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
This five-team competition will take place from Saturday, March 4 to Sunday, March 26, with 20 matches in the initial stage, an Eliminator, and the Final set for March 26. The DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium have been chosen as the venues for this event.
Both stadiums will host eleven contests each. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants will be the first two teams to play in the tournament, and the other three teams participating in the Women’s Premier League are UP Warriorz, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals.
The first-ever auction for the mega event was held in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. Smriti Mandhana was the highest bidder and was bought by the Challengers for a whopping INR 3.40 crore.
Ashleigh Gardner and Nat Sciver Brunt of England were the priciest foreign players with their values rising to 3.20 crore INR. Other renowned players including Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Alyssa Healy, Ash Gardner, and Amelia Kerr were also bought by teams.
87 cricketers were bought in the auction, with franchises paying out a total of INR 57.50 crores for players from all over the world, including Shafali Verma who had recently captained India to victory in the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup held in South Africa and is currently playing for the senior Indian team at the T20 World Cup.
