Khel Sports: BCCI set to allow five overseas players in Women's IPL

The WIPL will have five teams in the competition for the first three years.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set INR 12 crore as salary cap for the Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL), being launched next month. The fund size will have an annual increment of INR 1.5 crore in the subsequent four years and will soar up to INR 18 crore by the end of the first five-year cycle. There is no provision for the icon players in the five-team league.

As per the information communicated to the potential participants on Thursday (January 19), the BCCI has said that the player purse will start with INR 12 crore in 2023, will swell to INR 13.5 crore in 2024, to INR 15 crore in 2025, INR 16.5 crore in 2026 and finally INR 18 crore in 2027. This is the guideline for the first five years during which there will be five teams in the first three years and six teams in the last two years of the cycle.

In another important decision, the BCCI said it will allow five foreign players in the playing XI with at least one cricketer from an Associate country allowed in the XI. This is a shift from the IPL rule where only four foreign players are allowed. The fifth player, a source from a potential new franchise said, will have to be from an Associate. "The teams will have the option of fielding five foreign players as long as the fifth player is from an Associate nation," a source, in knowledge of the development, said.

The dates for the maiden edition have not been confirmed but they are expected to be from March 4 to 26. In all likelihood, the league will be played in Mumbai with the Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai and the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai being potential venues for the 22 games in the first season. The Wankhede is likely to be kept ready for the IPL, which is likely to start on March 31 or April 1.

The BCCI recently sold the media rights, for INR 950 crore to Viacom 18, and it is in the process of identifying the five franchises who will be taking part in the first three years. The franchises will be revealed on January 25 after a closed bidding process. The BCCI has apparently sold 29 ITTs but the exact number of parties interested could be around 15.

The prize money for the league will be INR 10 crore for the players and then for the teams, it will be INR 6 crore for the winning side and INR 3 crore for the runners-up. The third placed team will earn INR 1 crore. The BCCI said, "100 per cent of player prize money is to be distributed amongst the players only."