The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the inaugural edition of the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) will allow the use of five foreign players in the playing XI, with at least one player from an associate nation.
According to BCCI, this is a deviation from the usual IPL rules, which allow only four overseas players in the playing XI. The fifth player, who must be from an associate nation, is a new addition to the rule. This will provide the women’s team with much-needed experience and depth in their squad.
The BCCI also announced the salary cap for the WIPL. This will be set at INR 12 crore for the first year. It will increase by INR 1.5 crore annually for the next five years, reaching INR 18 crore by the end of the cycle.
Unlike the men’s IPL, there will be no slot for icon players in the five-franchise tournament. Potential participants were informed by the BCCI that the player’s purse will start at INR 12 crore in 2023 and will increase to INR 13.5 crore in 2024, INR 15 crore in 2025, INR 16.5 crore in 2026, and INR 18 crore in the final year of the cycle in 2027.
The WIPL will have five teams in the first three years of the tournament and will increase to six teams in the last two years of the cycle. Though the starting date of the WIPL has not been confirmed yet, it is expected to commence on March 4th and is likely to conclude on March 26th.
This move by the BCCI is seen as a step in the right direction to improve the standard of the Women’s IPL and to attract top-quality international players to the tournament. It will also provide an opportunity for Indian players to learn and improve their skills by playing alongside some of the best players in the world.