In India, there’s a fever that one can never really get rid of and that is the ‘Cricket Fever.’ Initially originated in England, the sport acquired great popularity among Indians. Today, it is one of the most sought-after professions in India. Cricket, especially for India, has always been more than just a mere game. It has been a way through which the government has tried to maintain bilateral relationships with other countries. In recent times, the Board Of Control Of Cricket in India (BCCI) is also using it as a way to contribute to ‘Gender Equality.’
There have been a lot of demands to introduce a T20 franchise league for women cricketers, just like the Indian Premier League (IPL). For example, both the star players, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur regarded the Women Premier League as a big moment for women’s cricket. For those unversed, IPL is a men’s T20 franchise cricket league in India that consists of players coming from the majority of cricket-playing countries (except for Pakistan) who play together with Indian players for one single franchise. The IPL has become the biggest franchise cricket over the years, along with wide recognition of the players with huge paychecks. Hence, the plea to introduce the same for the emerging Women’s team.
The persistent efforts bore fruit when, in February 2023, the schedule of the Women’s Premier League was announced by the BCCI. Divided into five teams, namely Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), UP Warriors (UPW), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Gujarat Giants (GG), WPL is a wonderful opportunity for all the women cricketers to show their skills and talent in a field which is often stereotyped as male dominant and chauvinist.
While both IPL and WPL go on the same line, there are some differences in rules and player compositions that make them contrast with each other:
- The number of Overseas Players:
In Men’s IPL, the rule is to have a maximum of four overseas players in a team of 11. But in the Women’s IPL, the team of 11 players can have 5 additional overseas players but the provision comes with a certain condition: the team which takes in an associate player of ICC (International Cricket Council) is the only which gets the chance to include five overseas players. Given the case, the Delhi Capitals is the only team that is permitted to have five overseas players because they bought an associated player named Tara Norris from the United States.
- Squad Size:
In WPL, the team squads can have between 15 to 18 players, but in IPL, the teams can have a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 25 players. In that case, the WPL squad is comparatively smaller.
- The Advantage of Table Toppers in the Points Table:
In both IPL and WPL, the team which earns maximum points has an upper hand advantage, but it differs in both cases. In IPL, the two teams with maximum points have an advantage in playing another match if they lose the first knockout match. But in WPL, the team with maximum points is directly qualified for the finals and the knockout matches are only played between the remaining top three teams.
- Total Money Involved:
In the IPL 2022, each team had an individual budget of INR 90 crore. But in WPL, the budget involved is comparatively less than the maximum spend that each team is allowed is only INR 12 crore.
Overall, it’s exciting to analyze and observe the difference between IPL and WPL. Indians as well as fans from all over the world have grown up watching IPL. Hence, with the women cricketers taking up the challenge of playing against their teammates and joining hands with players who had been their rivals for years, WPL surely serves as the biggest thriller of 2023.