The Women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin in 2023, following approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during its 91st Annual General Meeting on Tuesday.
“The General Body approved to conduct the Women’s Indian Premier League,” BCCI said in an official press release. The decision to conduct the Women’s IPL was taken in the 91st Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was held on Tuesday in Mumbai. Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) is set to start as a five-team tournament next year immediately after the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on February 26.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the BCCI’s proposed schedule includes 22 matches, with each squad consisting of 18 players, with a maximum of six abroad players. More than five foreign players cannot be included in a playing XI at the same time, with four from full-member countries and one from an associate country.
Though the BCCI has not finalised the WIPL schedule, it will conclude before the men’s IPL. The men’s IPL is expected to begin in March. WIPL is also set to clash with the inaugural season of the Women’s Pakistan Super League.
Women’s cricket has gained popularity in India when the women’s team advanced to the finals of the 2017 ODI World Cup, where they were defeated by England.
The BCCI launched the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2018, initially as a one-match event. However, over time, it was expanded to three teams.
Domestic growth in women’s cricket has been significant over the eight-year period between 2014 and 2022. A further breakdown revealed that numbers increased to 129% in the senior women’s category and 92% in the under-19 category.
WIPL will join The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League, and Women’s Big Bash League as T20 leagues that have expanded women’s cricket’s global appeal.
