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A total of 409 players will go under the hammer during the auction of the inaugural edition of Women's Premier League (WPL), which will be taking place on February 13, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday.
The first-ever WPL will take place from March 4 to March 26 this year. A total of 22 matches will be played with the Brabourne Stadium & D.Y. Patil Stadium playing hosts to the marquee tournament. A total of 1,525 players registered for the inaugural Women's Premier League Player Auction and the final list was pruned to 409 players. Out of 409 players, 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players of which 8 players are from associate nations. The total capped players are 202, uncapped players are 199 and 8 from associate nations. A maximum of 90 slots are available with the five teams, with 30 being slotted for overseas players. Rs 50 lakh is the highest reserve price with 24 players choosing to be slotted in the highest bracket. Team India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and India's Under-19 T20 World Cup-winning captain Shafali Verma are amongst the few Indians who have slotted themselves in the highest bracket. 13 overseas players have also slotted themselves under the Rs 50 lakh reserve price with the likes of Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine & Deandra Dottin to name a few. 30 players are in the auction list with a base price of Rs 40 Lakh. The Auction will start at 14:30 IST. The five franchises were acquired by the owners of the three IPL teams--Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals--along with Adani Group and Capri Global for a total of INR 4669.99 crore (about USD 572.78 million). This represents the largest deal ever made in women's cricket. The successful bidders were announced on January 25. BCCI's secretary Jay Shah confirmed the news and shared a tweet regarding the announcement. "Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of the inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs 4669.99 cr in total bid. "This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity. The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women's cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder. The @BCCI has named the league - Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin," tweeted Jay Shah. On January 28, BCCI announced the release of the Request for Proposal for Title Sponsorship Rights for Women's Premier League Seasons 2023-2027. Ever since its announcement, WPL has received a joyous, highly-welcoming response from the women's cricket fraternity, which hopes that it takes their game to higher heights. (ANI)
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