The girls’s premier League (WPL) may need taken time to materialise, nevertheless it’s lastly upon us, and the women in blue appear to have bought what they deserved, together with cash. Even earlier than its graduation, the WPL has already been dubbed the second-richest franchise-based cricket league on the earth throughout genders, after the Indian Premier League (IPL), as per BCCI secretary Jay Shah, and the third-richest franchise-based girls’s league on the earth throughout sports activities, after WNBA and Women’s Super League.

On January 16, the media rights for the primary 5 seasons of the league have been acquired by Viacom18 Media for Rs 951 crore—which interprets to roughly Rs 7.09 crore per match. Although these numbers are small in comparison with the boys’s league (the broadcasting rights for IPL stand at upwards of Rs 48,000 crore for the subsequent 5 years), market leaders say it’s a very good begin. Add to it sponsorship cash, ticket gross sales and different industrial income alternatives, and a single recreation may effectively herald over Rs 12 crore only for the groups enjoying.

Also learn: Smriti Mandhana named captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore women’s team

On January 25, the 5 groups have been purchased for a cumulative quantity of Rs 4,669.99 crore. While Gujarat Giants was bought for Rs 1,289 crore, the very best, Mumbai Indians went for Rs 912.99 crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz have been bought for Rs 901 crore, Rs 810 crore and Rs 757 crore, respectively.

In truth, the bidding for groups of the WPL broke the information of the inaugural males’s IPL in 2008, as per BCCI’s Shah.

Then got here the participant auctions on February 13. Like the inaugural public sale of the IPL, the public sale for the ladies’s league, too, noticed large names go for large cash with analytics taking a again seat. With a handbag of Rs 12 crore for every staff, Smriti Mandhana was the primary to be purchased and the costliest one as well, at Rs 3.4 crore (28.3% of the entire purse), to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardener was the costliest abroad buy, going to the Gujarat Giants for Rs 3.2 crore.

Again, evaluating this to the primary males’s IPL public sale in 2008, the numbers are comparatively small. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) dished out Rs 9.5 crore for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. England all-rounder Sam Curran is now the highest-ever money-earner for an IPL public sale at Rs 18.5 crore forward of the 2023 version. This was after the 2010 IPL public sale noticed Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) getting Rs 4.8 crore every and a 12 months later, Gautam Gambhir (KKR) breaking the financial institution to earn a mind-boggling Rs 14.9 crore.

The pay packets of WPL gamers could pale in entrance of those IPL icons, but when the upward pattern is something to go by, cash is predicted to start out flowing into the surroundings, say analysts.

Meanwhile, Tata Group bagged the title rights for the match. Although the financials of the deal weren’t revealed, a sports activities analyst says it will likely be 3-5% of what the corporate is paying for IPL. Tata Group changed Vivo because the title sponsor final 12 months, for which it paid round Rs 670 crore for a two-year sponsorship deal (2022 and 2023), or Rs 335 crore per 12 months.

Also learn: Delhi Capitals, Viacom18 partner to provide exclusive content from TATA IPL and WPL

It’s a win-win state of affairs for all of the stakeholders involved, say analysts. “The fact that teams in the WPL have been sold, players have been auctioned and media rights have been secured is a very positive sign for the league’s prospects. It suggests that there is significant interest and investment in women’s cricket,” says Santosh N, managing associate of D and P Advisory, a valuation companies supplier and boutique transaction advisory agency.

As per Santosh, the most important winner listed below are the gamers. “The WPL has the potential to provide female cricketers with a higher earning potential, which could further increase their visibility and status within the sport. By creating a professional league for women, the WPL could potentially attract more female fans and encourage more girls to take up cricket,” he provides.

But what’s in retailer for the manufacturers, contemplating it’s a very recent property? As per consultants, WPL will provide manufacturers the chance to align themselves with a trigger that’s seen as progressive and socially accountable, specifically, the promotion of gender equality in sports activities. In specific, manufacturers that concentrate on girls and ladies, comparable to style, magnificence, and private care manufacturers, might discover the WPL to be a very related platform for promotion. Additionally, manufacturers that concentrate on well being and wellness, or on selling variety and inclusivity, might additionally discover the WPL to be a very good match.

In phrases of the place the motion goes to be, each TV and digital are more likely to play necessary roles within the protection and promotion of the league. Digital media offers a chance for manufacturers to achieve youthful audiences and interact with followers by social media and different digital platforms. “At the same time, TV broadcasts can provide a more traditional and wide-reaching form of advertising that can be particularly effective for building brand awareness,” provides Santosh.

However, contemplating that viewership for girls’s cricket in India continues to be only a small fraction of males’s cricket viewership, advert charges will probably be considerably decrease. WPL continues to be a brand new property, and plenty of components can have an effect on advert charges, together with the standard of the matches, the recognition of the gamers, measurement of the target market and the extent of curiosity from followers. An Indian victory on the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup also can remodel girls’s cricket and positively affect the WPL by way of advert charges.

“The current WPL will be more of a discovery mechanism to get to a base ad rate for future seasons. Having said that, assuming similar TV ad inventory of 2,300 sec per match like in IPL, ad rates should normally be north of Rs 2 lakh for a ten-second slot. Ad rates in IPL matches range from Rs 15-18 lakh per a ten-second slot. But it should be noted that the ad rates for IPL are still below the break-even threshold,” says Santosh.

Going forward, to make the WPL successful, expertise will should be drawn from IPL. The same playbook may be adopted right here. First and foremost is league promotion by the cricketing board. That may be carried out by a wide range of channels comparable to social media, TV adverts, and different advertising channels. Advertisers may even should be made conscious of the league’s target market and the potential for progress.

“Also, the league should focus on attracting the best players and providing a world-class experience for players and fans,” provides Santosh.

Sandeep Goyal, MD, Rediffusion, agrees: “The broadcaster’s role is sequential and consequential. The tournament can be promoted and hyped up, but the cricket has to be compelling to watch,” Goyal instructed FE not too long ago.