WPL 2023: Cricket Club of India and DY Patil Stadium to host the inaugural season

The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is slated to commence on the March 4, with a clash between Team Mumbai and Team Ahmedabad in Mumbai, according to a latest tentative schedule. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to kick off the historic competition at the DY Patil Stadium, with the CCI being pitted as the other venue for the newly announced tournament.

According to the tentative schedule that has been doing the rounds, the second match of the impending tournament will see Team Bengaluru square off against Team Delhi at CCI on March 5, which will be a doubleheader. The opening game of the tournament has much bigger implications associated with it, as it is effectively Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai against Gautam Adani’s Ahmedabad.

The Indian billionaires, who also own a franchise each, in the ongoing ILT20 tournament, will see their sides tussle for bragging rights in the curtain raiser of the WPL. Matches aside, it has been reported by Cricbuzz that the apex cricketing body is planning to host the inaugural edition in Mumbai with CCI and DY Patil Stadium as the two venues.

The Wankhede, which is the premiere venue of the city has been left untouched as it is scheduled to host an international game between India and Australia on March 17, along with the next edition of the IPL. The two selected venues will host the five teams in the 22-match tournament.

The team topping the points table during the league stage will get a direct ticket for the final, slated to be held at the DY Patil Stadium on March 26. Meanwhile, the teams finishing in the second and third position will participate in an eliminator at the CCI on March 24 to decide the other finalist. The BCCI has invited all five owners to Mumbai on Friday, February 3, for the signing of the franchise agreements to avoid any last-minute changes among the participants.