Latest Updates of WPL 2024: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has been a great success for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the inaugural season, the tournament was held within a tight timeline and right after the Women’s T20 World Cup, with all games being staged across two venues in Mumbai. However, despite this challenging setup, the WPL turned out to be a hit among fans and players.
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has now confirmed that they plan to introduce the home and away format from season two of the WPL. Although the number of teams will remain five for the next three years, Dhumal believes that having home and away games will immensely help teams in building a fan base. He said that they will see which time slot is available, considering India’s international commitments and take a call.
Latest Updates of WPL 2024
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
— SportsBash (@thesportsbash) April 5, 2023
👉 Women's Premier League 2024 is set
to be played in home-away format 🏆
👉 WPL will continue to feature 5 teams for at least next three seasons 📰#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/DpfwOwEK2o
From a fan engagement point of view, Dhumal believes that it is very important that they go for the home and away format. This is great news for the fans who turned up in large numbers to watch the games at Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium. The tournament had garnered massive attention even before the first ball was bowled, with the teams’ rights fetching BCCI close to Rs 4700 crore and media rights Rs 951 crore.
While there is scope for additional teams in the years to follow, the number of teams will remain at five for the coming three seasons. One reason for not introducing a sixth team right away could be the lack of quality local talent. The world’s best displayed their exemplary skills in the competition, but not many uncapped Indian players were able to turn heads on.
Latest Updates of WPL 2024: Home and Away Format Confirmed by IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal
However, Dhumal is optimistic about the future, saying that the WPL has been received phenomenally and that he is hopeful that they will have a bigger pool of players, and their fitness and fielding standard will improve immensely going forward. He also emphasized that it was important to give players from associate nations an opportunity in the WPL.
Teams can pick up to five overseas players in the playing eleven, but the fifth one will have to be from an associate nation. This is a global event, and Dhumal believes that giving one slot to associate countries will help the game grow globally.
Latest Updates of WPL 2024
When asked about when the WPL franchisees could break even, Dhumal said, “As far breaking even is concerned, those who have invested their money, they have plans in place. Our plan is to generate money and plough it back into the game and get a bigger and better pool of players for India.”
Latest Updates of WPL 2024
Dhumal also discussed the impact of digital media on cricket, saying that while digital is changing the landscape, TV still has a great market in India. He added that the game has to innovate for everyone and that everything about the game has to revolve around the fans.
Latest Updates of WPL 2024 : Home and Away Format Confirmed by IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal
Lastly, Dhumal spoke about the introduction of the Impact player in the IPL and teams being picked after toss. This was done to mitigate the toss advantage, as dew played a major role in games. By allowing teams to pick their playing eleven post-toss, they can choose the right players based on the conditions.
Latest Updates of WPL 2024: The WPL has been a great success for the BCCI and IPL, and the introduction of the home and away format from season two will only enhance the tournament’s popularity. With a global approach and a focus on innovation, the WPL has the potential to become one of the most exciting women’s cricket tournaments in the world.
Read more : Record-Breaking: WPL 2023 Creates History with Highest Viewership for Any Women’s Event Globally
