Parth Jindal, Co-Owner & Chairman of IPL side Delhi Capitals, said on Thursday that he is truly excited to be a part of this revolution that will give passionate women cricketers a platform to show their skills, a day after acquiring the Delhi franchise in the Women's Premier League (WPL).
JSW and GMR Groups, co-owners of Delhi Capitals, won the rights to run the Delhi franchise for INR 810 crores during an auction held in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Apart from them, IndiaWin Sports Pvt Ltd (owners of the Mumbai Indians), Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (owners of the Royal Challengers Bangalore), Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd, and Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd won the remaining bids for franchises based in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow respectively.
"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," said Jindal in a media release.
"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," he added.
The inaugural Women's Premier League, which will feature five teams, is set to take place in March of this year. The Women's T20 Challenge, a three-team exhibition tournament, has been replaced as India's main women's T20 franchise competition by the WPL.
"We are thrilled to have won the bid for the Women's Premier League franchise in Delhi, adding another jewel to our Capitals universe! With our long-standing commitment to building a robust cricket ecosystem, the BCCI's exemplary initiative makes history. I am confident that the Women's Premier League will help us achieve our goals and will undoubtedly inspire many young girls and women in India and around the world "said Delhi Capitals CEO, Dhiraj Malhotra
Previously, on January 16, Viacom18 Media Private Limited was awarded the WPL's consolidated bid for media rights (i.e., Global Television Rights and Global Digital Rights) for the period 2023-2027.
Viacom18 won the rights with a bid of INR 951 crores, which translates to INR 7.09 crores per match. It is expected that 22 matches will be held in the first three seasons, with the possibility of increasing the number of matches to 33 or 34 in 2026.
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The inaugural Women's Premier League, which will feature five teams, is set to take place in March of this year. The Women's T20 Challenge, a three-team exhibition tournament, has been replaced as India's main women's T20 franchise competition by the WPL.
"We are thrilled to have won the bid for the Women's Premier League franchise in Delhi, adding another jewel to our Capitals universe! With our long-standing commitment to building a robust cricket ecosystem, the BCCI's exemplary initiative makes history. I am confident that the Women's Premier League will help us achieve our goals and will undoubtedly inspire many young girls and women in India and around the world "said Delhi Capitals co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi.