New Delhi and Bengaluru are likely to be the venues for 2024 Women’s Premier League: Sources

New Delhi: The 2024 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is likely to be hosted by New Delhi and Bengaluru. The inaugural edition of the WPL was held in Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai and DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai from March 4-26 in 2023.

IANS understands that the confirmation over the two cities being the venues for WPL 2024 is expected to arrive in the Governing Committee meeting slated to happen this week. “Yes, New Delhi and Bengaluru will be hosting WPL this year and in all likelihood, it will be ratified in the GC meeting.”

“But New Delhi has been given the confirmation for it becoming a WPL hosting venue this year. It will be very nice for the WPL this year to be in other venues and for women’s cricket overall too,” said a source tracking the development to IANS.

In December 2023, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had said after the end of WPL 2024 Player Auction in Mumbai that the tournament could begin from the "second or third week" of February, though he did say that one state could host the tournament.

There has been no word on the schedule and itinerary for WPL 2024, which in all probability, may come after the GC meeting. Following a formal communication, the five teams are expected to start planning for their respective logistics around the tournament.

In WPL 2023, the 22 matches were split into 11 games each for Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium to host. Each team will play the other four teams twice. The table-topper of the league stage will enter the final directly. Teams finishing second and third on the points table will face-off in the eliminator to decide who meets the table-topper in the title clash.

WPL 2024 will be contested between five teams – defending champions Mumbai Indians, runners-up Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Gujarat Giants. The inaugural WPL trophy was won by Harmanpreet Kaur-captained Mumbai Indians, who defeated the Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium.

60 players were retained by their respective five teams from the previous season, with 30 players acquired by the franchises overall in the 2024 WPL Player Auction, nine of whom were overseas cricketers.

Uncapped India pair of seam-bowling all-rounder Kashvee Gautam and batter Vrinda Dinesh earned huge paychecks of INR 2 crore and INR 1.3 crore from Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz respectively at the WPL 2024 player auction. Australia’s fast-bowling all-rounder Annabel Sutherland was the costliest overseas player at the auction with a paycheck of INR 2 crore from Delhi Capitals.

WPL 2024 squads

Delhi Capitals: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, and Ashwani Kumari

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, and Tarannum Pathan

Mumbai Indians: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, Sajeevan Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, and Keerthana Balakrishnan

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, Sabbhineni Meghana, Simran Bahadur, and Sophie Molineux

UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, and Gouher Sultana