The Second Edition Of Women’s Premier League Is Likely To Be Played In Mumbai And Bengaluru

The Women’s Premier League’s upcoming second season is set to take place in February 2024, with Bengaluru and Mumbai as the likely host cities. Just like the first season, this edition will feature five franchises vying for the top spot in the women’s T20 event.

The upcoming season of WPL will follow the same format as the inaugural one, with all five teams competing in a double round-robin competition. After this phase, the top three teams will continue to the knockout stage. The team that finishes at the top of the table will secure a direct spot in the final, while the other two will battle it out in the Eliminator.

Though the exact schedule hasn’t been decided yet, the matches will be conducted in a unique caravan-style structure. Each side will play their matches in one city before moving on to the next one, as reported by Women’s CricZone. It’s worth noting that initially, there were plans to use a home-and-away system similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Also Read: England Women’s Team Is Set To Tour India For The Multi-format Series

On October 19, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced a list of players. Out of these, the five WPL franchises elected to retain 60 players and released 29. Reports say that an auction is slated for December 2023, allowing teams to extend their squads.

After a lengthy wait, the WPL made its debut in February 2023 with the involvement of five franchises: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the first season, all matches were played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai and DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The tournament’s inaugural champions were the Mumbai Indians, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s team. They emerged winners in the final against the Delhi Capitals, headed by Meg Lanning. On the other side, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants had a less-than-brilliant season, finishing in fourth and fifth position in the points standings, respectively.