The WPL 2023 was a huge success. The tournament was able to garner and entertain a lot of people. With that being said, the BCCI is likely to go ahead with the second edition of the tournament. As per the latest updated BCCI secretary Mr. Jay Shah, we must expect the WPL to be played in the Diwali window. Although the tournament will clash with the BCCI men’s team’s home games, the BCCI is looking to have a significant gap between the IPL and the WPL. Here is an in-depth look:
Scheduling the WPL in Home and Away Format:
Unlike the WPL 2023 was conducted, the BCCI is also planning to cover the WPL in a home-and-away format. This will require a lot of logistical support and having that done right before the IPL will load the BCCI. Hence the BCCI is expected to shift the WPL window to Diwali. Here is a look at what Jay Shah, the Secretary of the BCCI said, “We are mulling the possibility of scheduling the WPL, in the home and away format, in the Diwali window; not two seasons in a year but just a different time window.”
“Women’s cricket now has a dedicated audience base and this number will only keep growing as we expect an encouraging turnout at the next WPL.”, he further added. Shah was evidently hinting at the logistical flaws that can occur if the tournaments are held back to back and hence the BCCI is asking for a different window.
WPL 2023 was a Huge Success:
WPL 2023 was a huge success according to the BCCI. Although the turnout on the grounds was decent. The numbers were not huge, but the television audience was huge. The tournament gathered a cumulative reach view of 50.78 million on all the different platforms. Shah also shared some of BARC data saying, “The RCB vs MI was the most watched game with a TVR of 0.41 among all India urban + rural, male + female, 15+ audience. The Gujarat Giants vs RCB match was the second most viewed match with 0.4 TVR.”
Any sports tournament runs on the framework of finance. These numbers are great for the league. If women’s cricket has to flourish in India and outside as well, the numbers will have to keep rising. Showing a steady growth in viewership and on-field presence will help the league sustain itself.
Women’s Cricket Grows Due to the Tournament:
The tournament also satisfied the purpose of cricket. Many young talents were revealed. Yastika Bhatia had a great tournament. Nat Sciver was great too. Harmanpreet Kaur had a few good innings. The cricket on display was world-class. Many domestic Indian women cricketers got exposure to cricket at the international level. They got to interact with the likes of Ellyse Perry, Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor, and other champion international players.
To know more go to Pak VS NZ 1st T20I: Preview, Dream 11 Predictions, Playing XIs, Venue, Timings.
Read more such articles at TATA IPL 2023: Big Boost for Punjab Kings as Liam Livingstone and Kagiso Rabada Return.
To know more go to the official website of the WPL.