After much back and forth, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) launched the women’s version of the IPL — the Women’s Premier League (WPL) — in 2023.
The BCCI sold the rights of 5 franchises to business entities, with 3 of them being IPL team owners. The franchise rights auction was a landmark event in Indian women’s cricket history, as the owners splurged a lot of money to own a WPL team.
So, who are the owners, and how much money did they spend to buy WPL teams?
In this article, let’s look at the owners of all 5 WPL teams.
Delhi Capitals | JSW GMR Cricket Pvt Ltd
The Delhi Capitals are 1 of the 3 IPL teams that own a team in the WPL as well. Similar to the ownership of the IPL team, JSW GMR Cricket Private Limited owns the Delhi Capitals Women’s team in the WPL.
The company that runs Delhi Capitals is a 50-50 joint venture between JSW Sports and GMR Sports Private Limited. The venture shelled out INR 801 crore to win the franchise rights for the Delhi-based team.
Both groups have vast experience in operating sports teams in different sports like kabaddi and football.
Gujarat Giants | Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd
Adani Sportsline Private Limited had attempted to own an IPL team in 2021, but they missed out on it. However, they left no stone unturned when the opportunity came to own a WPL team.
Adani Sportsline, owned by Adani Group, splurged a whopping INR 1289 crore for the Ahmedabad franchise — the highest bid for any WPL team. They named their team the Gujarat Giants, similar to the other franchises they own in other sports leagues.
Also Read | Franchise Contracts vs. National Board Commitments
Mumbai Indians | Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd
Indiawin Sports Private Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Group, owns one of the most successful IPL franchises — the Mumbai Indians. The Indian conglomerate secured the rights for the Mumbai Indian Women’s team with the second-highest bid of INR 912.99 crore.
The Reliance Group, owned by Mukesh Ambani, has a deep-rooted relationship with cricket. And this is reflected in the several cricket teams they operate in other prominent T20 leagues around the world.
Royal Challengers Bangalore | Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd
India’s leading alcoholic beverage company, United Spirits Limited, owns the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s team in the WPL.
The company operates the franchise through its subsidiary, Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited, which also owns the men’s RCB team. The company spent INR 901 crore to acquire the rights of the Bengaluru-based franchise in the WPL.
UP Warriorz | Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd
Similar to Adani Sportsline, Capri Global Holdings Private Limited was unsuccessful in procuring the rights of an IPL team in 2021. Fast forward to 2 years, and the company made a successful bid of INR 757 crore to obtain the Lucknow-based WPL franchise.
Capri Global Holdings Private Limited is a non-banking financial company (NBFC) founded by Rakesh Sharma. They named their WPL team the UP Warriorz, adding one more team to their Warriors sports family.
