The most awaited WPL 2023 is the upcoming inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League, a women’s franchise Twenty20 cricket league organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament will feature five teams: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz.
According to Jack Genovese of Ampere Analytics, a media research firm, the league is the world’s second highest valued women’s sports league just behind the Women’s National Basketball Association in the United States.
In this article we will look at the Schedule, Fixtures, Venue, Time and Date of Women Premier league 2023.
Introduction to WPL 2023
The predecessor of the WPL 2023 was the Women’s T20 Challenge which started as a single-match tournament in 2018, and expanded to a three-team, three-match competition held in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
In October 2022, the BCCI announced that they were considering a five-team tournament which would take place in March 2023. The new tournament was informally known as the Women’s Indian Premier League; however, on 25 January 2023 the BCCI officially named it the Women’s Premier League.
Format of WPL 2023
The BCCI also organises the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) competition, and the league structure for the WPL is based on the structure of the IPL.
Initially there will be five teams. The sides will play against each other in a double round robin format, with the three teams finishing with the most points entering the playoff stages of the competition.
But there is a catch, the team finishing in the first position won’t be playing the qualifier round. Rather, they will directly qualify for the final. While there will be a qualifier/semifinal played between the number 2&3 ranked team to determine which team shall play the final.
The first season of the league is scheduled to be played from 4 March to 26 March 2023, and will feature 22 matches, all held at Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. In each match a team may include a maximum of five overseas players, one of whom must be from an ICC Associate Nation.
WPL 2023 Fixtures, Schedule, Venue and Dates
| DATE | TIME | HOME TEAM | AWAY TEAM | VENUE |
| March 4 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants | Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 5 | 3:30 PM | RCB | Delhi Capitals | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 5 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz | Gujarat Giants | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 6 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians | RCB | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 7 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals | UP Warriorz | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 8 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants | RCB | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 9 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals | Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 10 | 7:30 PM | RCB | UP Warriorz | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 11 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Giants | Delhi Capitals | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 12 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz | Mumbai Indians | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 13 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals | RCB | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 14 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians | Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 15 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz | RCB | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 16 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals | Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 18 | 3:30 PM | Mumbai Indians | UP Warriorz | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 18 | 7:30 PM | RCB | Gujarat Giants | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 20 | 3:30 PM | Gujarat Giants | UP Warriorz | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 20 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians | Delhi Capitals | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 21 | 3:30 PM | RCB | Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 21 | 7:30 PM | UP Warriorz | Delhi Capitals | Brabourne Stadium |
| March 24 | 7:30 PM | Eliminator | (TBD) | DY Patil Stadium |
| March 26 | 7:30 PM | Final | (TBD) | Brabourne Stadium |
The league will start on 4th March at the DY Patil Stadium with a blockbuster clash between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians.
On Sunday, 5th March 2023, the WPL will have its first double-header day where Royal Challengers Bangalore will square off against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium, CCI. UP Warriorz will play their first game of the league against Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Stadium in the evening.
There will be 4 double headers with the first match starting at 3:30 PM IST. All evening matches will start at 7:30 PM IST. A total of 11 matches each will be held at the DY Patil Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
The Final game of the league stage will be played between UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals on 21st March at the Brabourne Stadium, CCI. The Eliminator will be played at the DY Patil Stadium on 24th March. The Final of Women’s Premier League 2023 will be played at the Brabourne Stadium on 26th March.
Good news for cricket lovers: The initial season of the league will be broadcast in India on the Sports18 TV channel and the JioCinema app, both of which are owned by Viacom 18.
It will be interesting to see who emerges victorious in the WPL 2023.
Overview of WPL 2023
Royal Challengers Bangalore has spent a whooping total of 901 Cr. INR on buying the top team of the league. RCB’s women’s team consists of world class players like Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Sohie Devine and several young Indian talents that have led the national team with numerous victorious like Richa Ghosh and Renuka Thakur.
Interestingly, RCB has bought only two pure batters, while has spent a large amount on all-rounders form all around the world. Considering the format of the game, a team requires their opening batters to provide them a perfect start and rest the hitters take care of. Hence, RCB’s mindful team composition makes them the perfect contenders of the title this season.
Moreover, Bangalore fans will be hoping for their maiden title victory, be it with the women’s team or men’s. A win is a win for cricket fans.
Thank you for reading.
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