The first Women’s Premier League, which starts in March, will be the most profitable franchise competition in women’s cricket.
It is the women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s biggest T20 franchise competition.
Five franchises were sold for £465m, one each in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament ahead of Monday’s player draft.
When does the WPL start and where is it?
The WPL will begin on March 4, six days after the conclusion of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. It will run till March 24, a week before the start of the IPL.
All matches will be played in Mumbai at the 20,000 capacity Brabourne Stadium and the much larger DY Patil Stadium (60,000).
How does WPL work?
There are five teams: UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.
The format is simple: each team plays the other four twice, with the top three from that stage advancing to the play-off stage.
The leaders of the tables will enter the finals automatically, and the second and third places will compete in an eliminator.
Tell me about the player project…
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) received 1,525 applications from players willing to play in the tournament, out of which 246 Indians and 163 players from abroad made the final selection.
A maximum of 90 spots are available across the five teams, with 30 spots reserved for foreign players – six per franchise.
Each team has almost £1.2m to spend on 15-18 players in the auction, which takes place on February 13 (from around 09:00 GMT).
The BCCI has set a base price of £30,000, £39,000 and £50,000 for international cricketers to choose from when they register for the auction. The highest salary in the women’s hundred is 31,250 pounds.
WPL teams must sign a minimum of 15 players and can have a maximum of 18. Teams can have a maximum of seven foreign players, of which five can play in a single match (four plus one from an associated country).
Which players can be involved?
England players Nat and Catherine Syver-Brant, Sophie Ecclestone and Danny Wyatt signed up at the top reserve price.
Australian greats Meg Lanning and Elise Perry, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and former West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin are also in the top category.
Former England captain Charlotte Edwards has been appointed head coach of the Mumbai-based club.
Australia’s Rachel Haines has been appointed as the head coach of Gujarat Giants while current England head coach John Lewis will lead the UP Warriorz.
