Indian Premier League chairman Arun Dhumal said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) doesn’t have any immediate plans to expand the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The tournament began with five teams back in 2023, with the top three teams in the points table qualifying for the final and Eliminator.
Dhumal, who’s a member of the WPL committee, said that India‘s premier women’s championship has grown by leaps and bounds. He was impressed with the viewership and crowd attendance at all four venues: M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, and Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
“To further strengthen this tournament for the time being, we want to consolidate before we take a call on further addition of any team. There are no immediate plans [to add teams]. So, within three editions, WPL has grown phenomenally in terms of traction for in-stadium attendance. All the broadcast numbers are very, very encouraging. And it has given new impetus to women’s cricket worldwide. So, we are hoping this continues to grow,”
Dhumal was quoted as saying to PTI.
The Indian board had garnered INR 4670 crore from the sale of the five teams, namely Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants. The media rights were sold for INR 951 crore.
MI recently won the WPL 2025 after beating Delhi Capitals in the final at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. In a rematch of the 2023 final at the same venue, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. came up trumps.
Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first batter to score 500 or more runs in a single WPL season, while Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews took 18 wickets apiece.
RCB, who won the title in 2024 after defeating DC in the final, lost five matches on the trot and couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. DC have played in all three finals under Meg Lanning but couldn’t finish on the winning side even once.
