Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jay Shah stated on Monday that Viacom 18 had won the media rights for the first five editions of the much-awaited Women’s Indian Premier League.

Shah, in a Twitter post, stated that Viacom had committed Rs 951 crore for five years.

“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,” Shah tweeted.

In a statement release by BCCI, President Roger Binny said, “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.”

Advertisement

He added: “It was only apt to get our own women’s T20 league and give the fans more of women’s cricket. I would also like to congratulate the BCCI leadership and its workforce for a successful media rights process and wish them the very best for the first edition of the Women’s IPL.”

The first edition of the Women’s IPL will be played after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and before the men’s IPL season begins.

The tournament is reportedly set to feature five teams with a total of 22 matches played. Each squad will have 18 players with a maximum of six from overseas. In the playing XI, a maximum of five overseas players will be allowed – four from Full Member countries and one from an Associate nation.

The BCCI had been conducting the Women’s T20 challenge up until now, which featured three teams in the most recent edition and had four matches. The Women’s Big Bash League, FairBreak Invitational, Women’s Hundred and Women’s Caribbean Premier League are the top leagues in the women’s game at the moment.