The Indian network Viacom18 has spent 951 crore (£95.4m) to secure broadcast rights for the new women’s Indian Premier League tournament for its first five years. It makes the competition one of the most valuable in world cricket and in women’s sport globally.
Jay Shah, the honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, saidthe WIPL would “revolutionise women’s cricket not just in India but across the globe,” adding: “The broadcasters play a key role in taking the game to a wider audience and their active interest in the league is a clear indication that the Women’s Indian Premier League is headed in the right direction.”
The deal values each game at 7.09 crore (£711,000), an impressive figure even if it is dwarfed by that reached by the men’s event under the broadcast deal concluded last June, which at 104 crore a match makes the IPL the second-most valuable sporting league in the world after the NFL.
The first WIPL will be played in March, with the names and host cities of the five franchises to be decided when sealed bids from prospective owners are opened on 25 January. At least eight of the 10 men’s IPL sides intend to bid to operate a women’s team and the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, have also expressed an interest. That will be followed by a player auction in February.
The broadcast deal followed news that Mithali Raj, India’s former captain and most famous women’s cricketer, was to return at the age of 40 to compete in the WIPL, having retired from international cricket last year. “The Women’s IPL will be a game-changer for women’s cricket and cricket in general,” she tweeted
