When and where? Women’s Premier League franchises have been repeating the two Ws at every meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, there is no clarity yet. Even though the WPL 2024 Auction is over, when and where the second edition will be played is still unclear. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah informed reporters on the sidelines of WPL Auction that it will be in February. But there is no clarity on the schedule and even the venue.
BCCI has identified February as the window. As per a Cricbuzz report, BCCI has informed franchises of a tentative window of February 22 to March 17. Yet, the WPL 2024 Full schedule will only be out after a discussion with the franchises.
“It is decided that we will have the tournament in February. As far as the venue is concerned, it will be held in one state only so that it is better logistically. Logistics are very important for us this time, next time we can figure it out,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on the sidelines of WPL 2024 Auction in Mumbai.
WPL 2024 Venue unclear
The tournament will be sandwiched between IND vs ENG Test series and IPL 2024. And hence, there is no chance of a multi-state WPL 2024. Instead, BCCI is working on a multi-city formula with a part of the tournament in one city and the rest in another city of the same state.
“We can do it either in Bangalore or Uttar Pradesh. We have so many venues, even in Gujarat, where we have Ahmedabad, Rajkot and after a few years Baroda can build their own stadium. Basically, it is a joint call between the franchises and the BCCI. We will sit together and we will decide. We will let you know. It will be in one state, that is sure,” Jay Shah added.
Earlier, BCCI wanted WPL 2024 in Bengaluru and Mumbai in a caravan format. This way, WPL could expand its footprints after initial success in Mumbai last year. However, that is unlikely to happen this time.
