Women’s IPL Teams Auction: Base Price of WIPL Franchises, Big Companies in Race; All you need to know

Some of the top corporate houses in the country have shown interest in owning a franchise and are likely to bid aggressively.

When is WIPL team’s auction happening?

The auction for Women’s IPL teams will be held on Wednesday (January 25). The BCCI released the tender document and more than 30 companies have bought it.

Women’s IPL Media Rights: Viacom 18 to pay INR 951 crores to BCCI for WIPL 2023-27 cycle

How many WIPL teams are up for sale?

The BCCI has announced selling 5 teams for the first three years and it will later expand it to six.

Price of one WIPL team at auction

As per a PTI report, market experts predict every single franchise will be sold in the range of Rs 500 to 600 crore in the close-bid auction.

Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) set to be launched in 2023

An industry insider, who has previously worked on men’s IPL team bid, told PTI ahead of the auction, “WIPL has huge potential but most of the legacy teams would like to mix optimism with pragmatism.”

How much will BCCI earn from WIPL Team Auction?

The BCCI is set to get richer by Rs 4000 crore with the sale of all five WIPL teams. Experts believe that the BCCI is set to get a few bids in the range of Rs 500 crore and upwards. It can even exceed Rs 800 crore plus, making the board happier.

How many companies are in the race for a WIPL team?

As per reports, more than 30 companies purchased the bid documents worth Rs 5 lakh including all 10 men’s IPL teams. Corporate giants such as Adani group, Torrent group, Haldiram’s Prabhuji, Capri Global, Kotak and Aditya Birla Group have also shown interest in buying a team.

Some of these big business houses failed to own the IPL men’s teams when the BCCI invited bids for two new teams back in 2021.

Are men’s IPL teams interested in buying a WIPL side?

Yes, all ten traditional IPL franchises have shown their interest in having a women’s IPL franchise. Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already claimed that they are contemplating adding the bouquet of their already existing men’s teams across the globe.

What will be player’s purse of Women’s IPL 2023?

As per reports, the player purse for the inaugural edition of the WIPL would start at Rs 12 crore in 2023. It will keep on increasing by at least Rs 1.5 crore per year during the five-year cycle. Thus, it will be Rs 13.5 crore in 2024, Rs 15 crore in 2025, Rs 16.5 crore in 2026, and Rs 18 crore in 2027.

When will WIPL 2023 Start?

Although there is no official communication from the BCCI about the start date of the WIPL 2023, it is speculated that the tournament will be held between March 4 and 26.

What will be WIPL 2023 Venues?

It is being said that the first edition of the WIPL will be held in just one city and Mumbai – which has three international stadiums – is the frontrunner.

In the inaugural edition, the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium may serve as two venues for the 22 matches.

Why companies are willing to own a WIPL team?

According to market insiders, there are two principles on which these bids are placed by the business houses. The first one is “Return on Investment” (ROI), which is the core principle of any business. It is profit on what an entity spends. The second one isn’t a business principle as such but in the business community, they call it the “Return of Ego”.

A former IPL franchisee official, who had once worked on bids, explained the rationale which goes into the bidding. “Let’s say, a franchise makes a winning bid of Rs 500 crore for a period of five years. Now that’s Rs 100 crore committed straightaway for each of the next five years,” the source explained.

What will be a source of earnings for WIPL franchises?

“The BCCI distributes its media broadcast revenue which is one of the major earning chunks. The second is a share from BCCI’s central pool of sponsorship. The third is a franchisee’s own set of sponsorship earnings. Fourth is gate sales, money earned from tickets,” he elaborated.

What will be franchisee’s earning from WIPL’s media revenue pool?

“The BCCI in the case of Women’s IPL is going to share 80 per cent of media rights money with the teams (in the case of men, it’s 50:50) to help them develop a sustainable model.

“So what will be the mathematics over here? JIO has brought media rights for five years at Rs 950 crore (approx) which is roughly Rs 190 crore per year. So 80 per cent of 190 crores is 152 crore.

“Let’s make it a round figure of Rs 150 crore. That’s what each franchise gets over a period of five years which is approximately Rs 30 crore per annum,” he explained.

“Now BCCI will also distribute a chunk of its central pool of sponsorship (title sponsor, co-sponsors, various award sponsors) also with the franchise. Add to it the franchisee’s own revenue pool also. So it could be between Rs 15 to Rs 18 crore per year. Gate sales won’t earn you a great deal in the first year,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)