Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: WPL will change the face of women’s cricket worldwide | Women’s Premier League will have a huge impact on women’s cricket

The first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket competition is underway, putting women front and centre in a country known for its love of the sport. The WPL seeks to change the face of women’s cricket around the world, with some of the best female players taking part in the inaugural competition. The league has already been described as “transformative” as it could shape the women’s game for decades to come. 

In recent years, women’s basketball and soccer have been transformed by the rise in competitions and the excitement of sports fans from around the globe. The WPL hopes to create the same kind of buzz, as it becomes the authority in women’s cricket. 

Women’s cricket fans are debating which team will win the inaugural WPL tournament. Cricket fans can use the Parimatch bonus code India before betting on the competition and the team they believe will win.

What is the WPL?

The WPL is an all-new women’s cricket competition in India, home of the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL transformed men’s cricket, making it more exciting and fast-paced, growing the sport which seemed to be stagnating in other parts of the world. 

The 2023 WPL features five teams playing a format like the IPL. The fast-paced matches typically finish in under three hours, making the competition ideal for cricket fans of the shorter game. The league features Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz competing for 22 days. The competition will conclude on March 26. 

Investment in the women’s game

A considerable amount of money was invested in the WPL before it started. Around $580 million was spent by owners to acquire the five team franchises. Viacom paid $117m to acquire the broadcast rights for the WPL for the next five years. 

Only women’s basketball in the United States has a higher broadcast rights fee per game than the WPL in the entire women’s sports world. It is a remarkable figure, as women’s basketball has deep roots in the US. The WPL is only in its first season, and when the broadcast rights deal ends in five years, the WPL could eclipse the numbers set by women’s basketball in the US. Of course, that will depend on how cricket fans consume the sport. 

Adding more investment into the WPL was Tata Group. The Indian conglomerate became the WPL’s title sponsor in a deal that will last for the next five years. Although the financial sponsorship figure wasn’t made public, it is said to be substantial. 

How big can women’s cricket become?

The sky is the limit for women’s cricket with the new investment provided by the WPL and its sponsors. The more money available for the women’s game, the better-developed players will become. The WPL isn’t the only major women’s cricket competition. In 2021, the women’s Hundred tournament launched in the United Kingdom. 

The game is on an upward trajectory and the stats back up the growth the women’s sport is experiencing. The Women’s World Cup final in 2009 featured England and New Zealand. Despite being strong cricketing nations, the match held in Sydney was watched by just over 2,000 fans. Just over 10 years later, the T20 World Cup final had a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground of 86,000 fans.