Women’s IPL: Viacom18 bags media rights for Rs 951 cr for next 5 years

The five WIPL franchises will be unveiled on January 25 by the BCCI.

The news comes as a massive development for women’s cricket on Monday as Women Indian Premier League (WIPL) media rights was auctioned. The news was confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah on his Twitter account on Monday.

“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 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket,” tweeted Jay Shah.

Viacom has pledged INR 951 crore, and INR 7.09 crore for each match, for the next five years.

The Women’s T20 Challenge was initially held as an exhibition tournament, but the BCCI last year eventually made the decision to introduce the WIPL, with the first season’s opening match scheduled for March. The BCCI has not officially released the tournament’s schedule, but it is widely believed that the first season, which would consist of 22 matches, will take place between March 5 and March 23.

Uncapped cricketers have been given two alternatives, while players with caps–those who have represented India or are currently on a central contract–can select either Rs. 30 lakh, Rs. 40 lakh, or Rs. 50 lakh as their base pricing (Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh).
Prior to the WIPL, the base price has been separated into five categories, ranging from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh. The auction’s registration cutoff date is January 26.

(With inputs from agencies)