Women’s IPL 2023 – A Game Changer for Brands
What was ethereal is now finally real. What was ambiguous is finally obvious. What seemed far distant is just a few months away. Yes, we are saying far too many words, but after all this is the first concrete indication of Women’s India Premier League (IPL), and it calls for celebration. If you are wondering why we are going gaga over Women’s IPL 2023, the answer is why not!
The men’s IPL heralded the new era in the world of cricket, it was a revolution for cricket lovers, brands and business tycoons as well. Hence, there is no reason the women’s tournament, along with some robust promotion and planning, can’t do the same.
As someone who is a massive fan of our women in blue, it gives us immense pleasure that the Women’s IPL 2023 is all set to become a reality in the next few months. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is giving its seal of approval at the Annual General Meeting- a validation and recognition of the rapid strides the women’s cricket has been making in the country in the past few years.
Therefore, we can proudly say that the Women’s IPL 2023 is going to be a gamechanger in the field of sports. In fact, it might also change the way audiences view cricket (which is majorly viewed as a male dominated sport) and will open new doors for women cricket players.
Women Cricket IPL Media Rights
The BCCI has finally announced the release of ‘Invitation to Tender for Media Rights to the Women’s Indian Premier League Seasons 2023-2027’.
The Indian Premier League Governing Council has even invited bids for acquiring the media rights for Women cricket IPL through a tender process.
The Invitation to Tender (ITT) will now be available for purchase till 31st December, 2022, as per Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI. As per reports, the inaugural edition of women cricket IPL is likely to be played from Mar 3 to 26, 2023.
According to Cricbuzz, the BCCI has already made the first move on Women’s IPL 2023. The tender for media rights has been released by the Indian Board on Friday. With Viacom18, Disney-Star, Sony Sports Network all of them equally interested to bag the rights, however BCCI is expecting another round of windfall. Just like IPL media rights, broadcasters will bag women cricket IPL media rights for a 5 year period.
What’s interesting is that the Indian cricket board has not set a base price for the bid. In fact, the BCCI has clarified that it’s not necessary that the highest bidder will win. Yes you read it right! BCCI will consider a bid which is in the best of interest of themselves and the women’s IPL 2023. The bidding is going to be a closed affair, with no joint venture or consortium allowed to participate.
Well, talking about media rights, it should be noted that BCCI had pocketed INR 48,390 Cr from the sale of IPL rights. The IPL 2008 media rights went for INR 8,200 Cr, BCCI is definitely expecting the similar figures for Women’s IPL 2023 Media Rights. The number of games are expected to vary from 132 to 134 in the five seasons. For now the BCCI is looking for bidders on a per-match, per-season basis.
Everything You Need to Know About IPL Women’s T20
- BCCI is all set to roll out a tender document to franchises who are willing to buy the teams.
- The base price kept for the league is $50 Mn or INR 400 Cr, which is very close to IPL 2008 franchise fee.
- In fact, instead of giving first preference to IPL teams, BCCI has taken the decision to float a tender open to all the parties who are interested.
- Due to this decision, new players will now be able to outbid IPL franchises.
- A separate tender will also float from the BCCI for the e-auction of the broadcast rights.
- The BCCI is busy simultaneously seeking the availability of the leading women’s cricketers from around the world.
- According to a News18 report, the BCCI has even begun signing contracts with Indian as well as overseas players.
- This move by the BCCI will help to confirm the availability of various foreign players in IPL womens T20.
- Once the team decides to buy a player, the central contract will further lead to the agreement with the franchise.
- To start with, the players will be undergoing a draft instead of an auction in place for the men’s IPL.
- Similar to the men’s IPL, 4 overseas players will play in the 11 and a squad can have a maximum of 18 players.
Women’s IPL T20 to Enhance Women’s Game
Experts are of the opinion that, the Women’s IPL T20 can highly replicate the success and popularity of the men’s IPL tournament. Talking of that, we can’t deny that women’s cricket in India has overcome and come forward by leaps and bounds in the past 5 years and Women’s T20 IPL is the much-needed boost for our Women in Blue.
The tournament can even improve the quality of competition in women’s cricket. 2023 March will see women players take the centre stage before the already established world-class product that is the men’s IPL. This will enhance the women’s IPL T20 with a more competitive game, it will be a complete contrast to the men’s cricket, which has enjoyed the overload of game time.
Women’s IPL- The Next Big Thing for Brands
Women’s IPL 2023 is in the progression stage, but there’s already a buzz amongst cricket fanatics. It has caught the attention of brands as well, and why not cause advertising on women’s cricket IPL means a positive association with the brand. It is time for brands to activate their creative minds and hit off well with women consumers.
As per Financial Express, the overall cumulative global dedicated audience on TV for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 was 104.8 Mn, with Indian channels delivering the major share. Talking of Women’s IPL 2023 much might depend upon the promotion and hype, which will lead big brands to advertise on women’s cricket IPL. However, women-centric brands might take a leap of faith.
The men’s IPL saw the success of various crypto, gaming and BFSI brands, they might as well be interested in advertising on Women’s IPL 2023, cause who doesn’t want new customers. Only time will tell ‘who bags the media rights’, ‘how many advertisers will the league garner’ and ‘how much will be the viewership’. However, one thing we are sure of is that this is a much-needed step in the right direction, which will shape the women’s cricket space.
