The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) officially launched the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in late-2022. The five-team WPL marks an epochal moment for Women’s sports in India and for women’s cricket across the globe.
A lucrative broadcast deal was signed on 16 January 2023 and winners of the five franchises were announced on 25 January.
The next key milestone will be the player auction which is expected before mid-February.
A lot has been said about the value that the WPL brings – this discussion between ESPNcricinfo’s Shamya Dagupta, Firdose Moonda and Nagraj Gollapudi really brings out the potential impact that the league could have on the women’s game.
Personally also, I feel the impact could be much more encompassing for women’s sports in the long run if the WPL thrives.
The India U-19 team’s world cup victory and the senior women’s team recent consistent performances at the global stage will provide excellent momentum to the WPL.
For me, the key challenge will be ensuring fan attendance at stadiums and live viewership. Fan retention and engagement may be a slightly bigger challenge for the WPL as compared to other sports properties. However, fan engagement is not new for the franchise owners – three of whom own Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.
Gradually, the IPL and other leagues like the PKL (Pro Kabaddi League) have embraced social media, technology (dedicated team apps and gamification) and fantasy sports for engaging with fans.
The WPL may be the perfect league to not just build on these but also innovate further. We will be analysing fan engagement strategies and technologies adopted by teams and leagues across the globe in an in-depth upcoming article.