The Women's Premier League (WPL) has made a strong start in its inaugural season, securing a valuation of approximately $150 million (Rs 1,250 crore), making it one of the most valuable women's cricket leagues globally. This valuation is largely due to significant media and title rights contracts, as reported by D&P Advisory.
The media rights for the WPL are valued at Rs 951 crore over five years, which translates to Rs 7.09 crore per match. This contract ranks as the world's second most valuable broadcast agreement for a women's sports league. The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) leads with $25 million per season, followed by WPL at $23.4 million, and then the Women's Super League (WSL) and UEFA Women's Champions League at $9.6 million and $8 million respectively.
Adding to the league's value, Tata Group has been secured as the title sponsor for five years at a cost of Rs 165 crore. The sale of franchises has also demonstrated confidence in the future of the WPL, raising a cumulative total of Rs 4,670 crore.
On a comparative note, despite having fewer matches than the Indian Premier League's (IPL) inaugural edition, the WPL is estimated to be 25-30% of IPL's value. The IPL began with eight teams playing a total of 591 matches, while the WPL started with five teams playing 22 matches. Nevertheless, the IPL's per-match media rights value in its first season was notably higher at Rs 4,700 crore, compared to the WPL's Rs 1,250 crore.
The International Cricket Council's Chief Commercial Officer, Anurag Dahiya, has shared the goal of attracting an additional 250 million fans to women’s cricket by 2032. With India hosting the 2025 edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, this presents a significant opportunity to further build on the successes women’s cricket has enjoyed in India.
Despite the potential time needed for franchises to become profitable, the WPL is seen as an untapped advertising opportunity compared to the more saturated market of men’s cricket. The WPL also aims to promote gender pay parity, equal opportunities for women in cricket, inclusivity, diversity within the cricket ecosystem, and serve as a platform for infrastructure development and grassroots-level talent.
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