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

It is a historic day for Indian cricket as the Women's IPL media rights for the first five years cycle has been bagged by Viacom 18.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed the news with a tweet on Monday (January 16) that the Network 18-owned platform has won the bidding war for the WIPL for the 2023-27 cycle.

The same channel also has digital rights for the Men's IPL for the same cycle, while they also are broadcasting the ongoing SA20 league.

WIPL Media Rights Price:

Viacom 18 will be paying INR 951 crores to BCCI for the media rights of the WIPL, which estimates to INR 7.09 crore per match.

Shah took to his Twitter handle, and wrote, "After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate."

"It's a big and decisive step for the empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed!"

He further claimed that the deal would "revolutionise women's cricket" globally. "I am really thrilled that we have had such an encouraging response for a league that will revolutionise women's cricket not just in India but across the globe," he said in a statement.

"This is a commitment I had made to the board and our women cricketers and today we have taken one big leap. The broadcasters play a key role in taking the game to a wider audience and their active interest in the league is a clear indication that the Women's Indian Premier League is headed in the right direction."

While the per-match value of Rs 7.09 crore was calculated for 22 matches per season across the first three years, there is a possibility of an increase to 34 matches from 2026 as the BCCI, based on the performance of the women's IPL, might add a sixth franchise later that year.

The inaugural edition of the WIPL will consist of five teams and it will be a round-robin tournament which is set to take place around March this year. BCCI will conduct the auction for the WIPL franchises on January 25.

"Women's cricket has been on the up since a few years and the recently concluded bilateral series against Australia is a great testament to how popular women's cricket has become in India," BCCI president Roger Binny said in a release. "It was only apt to get our own women's T20 league and give the fans more of women's cricket."

Manchester United owners Glazer Family has shown interest in buying a WIPL side and it has to be seen if their wish materializes into an actual acquisition of a team.

Congratulations @viacom18 for winning the Women’s @IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in @BCCI and @BCCIWomen. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for next 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket 🙏🇮🇳

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 16, 2023

The players' auction is supposed to happen in February as the players will have to register their names by January 26 to be a part of the bidding war.

WIPL Impact:

Women's IPL has been coming for a long time. Given the success of IPL, the women's tournament can also potentially have a huge impact on the dynamics of women's cricket in India. Women's Big Bash in Australia is right now the only franchise-based female cricket competition in the world, and the arrival of WIPL will certainly enhance the opportunities for players worldwide.

Along with global stars, we can expect many domestic talents to take the centre stage and showcase their skills in front of a global audience. There is already a spring in the Indian women's national team and we can expect a lot more of that in the coming days as WIPL's curtain gets raised.