WPL; Mumbai, Ahmedabad to play the opener: Details here
What's the story
As per the latest developments, Team Mumbai will meet Team Ahmedabad (Gujarat Giants) in the opener of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) on March 4. The BCCI is planning to kick-start the competition at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium. Meanwhile, the entire competition will reportedly take place across two venues in Mumbai. The Cricket Club of India (CCI) is the other ground. Here's more.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The tournament opener is seen as a mouth-watering clash as it will be Mukesh Ambani versus Gautam Adani, two of the biggest names in Indian corporate. The Adani Group attained the Ahmedabad-based franchise for Rs. 1,289 crore. The Mumbai-based side was bagged by Mumbai Indians owners for Rs. 912.99 crore. Meanwhile, the tournament will reportedly conclude on March 26.
Owners
Owners of the other three sides
Besides Ahmedabad and Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Lucknow are the other teams to feature in the inaugural edition. Owners of Royal Challengers Bangalore bought the Bengaluru-based side for Rs. 901 crore. Delhi Capitals owners bagged the Delhi-based team for Rs. 810 crore. Capri Global acquired the Lucknow-based side for Rs. 757 crore. Meanwhile, the tournament will witness a total of 22 games.
Schedule
Double-header on Day 2
As per Cricbuzz, a tentative schedule of WPL has been circulated. The second day of the tournament (March 5) will witness a double-header. In the afternoon game, Team Bengaluru will cross swords with Team Delhi at CCI. Later in the day, Gujarat Giants will meet Team Lucknow at DY Patil Stadium. Meanwhile, the return clash between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is scheduled for March 14.
Auction
WPL auction to take place on February 11 or 13
As per ESPNcricinfo, the player auction for the WPL is likely to take place on February 11 in New Delhi or February 13 in Mumbai. BCCI will make the final call this week. Each franchise will have an auction purse of Rs. 12 crore to build their squads. The squad strength will be between 15 and 18 players.
Plans
BCCI had to change plans
The auction was initially planned to take place in the first week of February. It was postponed majorly due to two reasons. Firstly, three WPL franchise owners also own teams in the ILT20 and the SA20. The two tournaments will conclude on February 11 and 12, respectively. The second reason is that the franchises have had limited time to assemble their coaching staff.