IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said on Tuesday that they want to introduce the home and away format from the second season but that the number of teams will stay the same at five for the following three years, encouraged by the success of the first Women’s Premier League.
Players from the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 Cricket Final between the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals (PTI)
The inaugural WPL was well-received by both players and fans, although it had to be done in a hurry because the Women’s T20 World Cup had just ended. As a result, the BCCI chose to schedule every game at two Mumbai sites.
The board intends to start down that road from the start of the upcoming season, according to Dhumal, who cited hosting the WPL as the largest difficulty of his tenure. He claimed that having home and away matches greatly aids teams in growing their fan bases.
“A good beginning is half the battle. The WPL has had a fantastic start, and it will be far better than what we have witnessed thus far. Although we have five teams at the moment, we will continue to hunt for more. Due to the player pool that will be available in the upcoming years, there is room for that.
“Although we intend to add more teams, the number will stay at five for the next three years. With India’s international commitment, we will determine which time slot to use while contemplating the home and away format.” Call is available.
Going with the Home and Away format is crucial from the fans’ perspective, Dhumal told PTI.
The game was watched by a sizable crowd at the Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium. Even before the first ball was bowled, there was a lot of buzz about the event, and the team’s authorities asked the BCCI for 4700 crores and the media rights for 951 crores.
“With the short amount of time we had to launch the WPL, it has been a wonderful ride thus far. We are happy with how things have developed, but we haven’t had much time because the World Cup was going on and the girls just had a week to return and restart.
The way the event was accepted, according to Dhumal, was wonderful. “Everything (media rights, team rights, and players auction) happened one after the other,” he stated.
The dearth of top-tier local talent may be one factor for delaying the introduction of a sixth team. With the exception of Saika Ishaq, Kanika Ahuja, and Shreyanka Patil, not many uncapped Indian players were able to make an impression throughout the competition featuring the finest players in the globe.
“The last few years have seen excellent results for our national team. The World Cup was won by the U-19 girls. We are certain that we have a strong pool of players and that their fitness and fielding will occur after seeing how the WPL has been received. Future improvements will be significant.”
The legacy IPL franchises that have seen the value of the men’s competition soar to astronomical proportions own three of the five teams.
When can WPL franchisees get profitable?
“Those who have invested their money have a strategy for making a profit. Our strategy is to make money, reinvest it in the game, and expand the player base for India.”
Players from associate nations should be given opportunities in the WPL, according to Dhumal. Tara Norris from the USA took part in the first game.
In the starting Eleven, teams may select up to five foreign players, although at least one of those players must be from an associate nation.
“That takes place everywhere. It is not centered on India. We have allocated a place for associate nations that will aid in the game’s international expansion. Also, their players have had success.”
IPL: TV remains relevant but more buyers turn to digital medium
Last week saw the start of the two-month IPL following a record-breaking 48,390 crore media rights deal that astounded the board. For the first time, the board auctioned TV and internet rights separately, and it was a brilliant move.
Viacom and Star, the owners of the TV rights, are working hard to improve the viewing experience for fans.
For everyone, the game needs to be innovated. The supporters are important to every aspect of the game. It was intended to be more educational for the fans. We had two incredible partners, and we had a different set of auctions (for media rights).
According to Dhumal, there is a sizable market that needs to be attracted in terms of the worldwide audience. We’ll communicate with supporters everywhere.
Will TV still be relevant in the age of the digital revolution in India and elsewhere?
Given the breadth and reach of television, he continued, “the digital ecosystem is changing, so there will be more takers for digital, but there is still a large market in India.”
Introduction to Impact Players
Dhumal claimed that the IPL’s use of impact players and the practice of having clubs choose after the toss both served to lessen the toss’s advantages.
“We now know how important a function dew plays. To eliminate the perceived benefit of winning the toss, we considered introducing “Impact Players” and allowing teams to select their teams after the toss is called, allowing them to select the best XI.” Added.
This story’s text was published exactly as it appeared in a wire service feed.