WPL FAQs - How many overseas players per XI? Where are the games? Is there DRS?
Everything you need to know about the inaugural Women's Premier League
Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy and Komal Zanzad at an RCB training session • BCCI
It's called the Women's Premier League or just WPL.
It starts on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with Mumbai Indians taking on Gujarat Giants. Before you ask, there are five teams, 22 matches in all, including the final on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium at the other end of the city.
Yes, all in Mumbai. Technically, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, which also comes under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. All the games will be played at just the two grounds mentioned above.
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Most matches will start at 7.30pm IST, except on double-header days, when the first match will begin at 3.30pm, like in the IPL. The WPL has four such double-headers.
Three owners of IPL teams also bought teams here - Reliance got Mumbai Indians, the JSW and GMR group got Delhi Capitals, and Diageo bought Royal Challengers Bangalore. There are two new owners - Adani Sportsline bought Ahmedabad-based Gujarat Giants and Capri Global, a non-banking financial services company, took the Lucknow-based UP franchise, UP Warriorz (yes, that's with a Z, not S).
We have two Indians and three Australians in charge:
That's right. Except that if a team has an Associate player - she could be played as the fifth overseas player in the XI. Capitals were the only team to buy an Associate player at the auction: Tara Norris, a left-arm quick, from USA.
Among the big players, you have the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Beth Mooney among others. We have also put together a list of seven unknown players who could be future superstars.
As per the rules, each squad has 15 to 18 members, with six overseas players each. Here are the five squads in full detail, along with their strengths and weaknesses.
The BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on the day of the players auction that the tournament may expand to more cities later on, but for now it's all in Mumbai for logistical reasons - the fact that the tournament has been planned in a short period of time, only in the last few months.
Take out your calculator. Once the points are tied, the team with the most wins in the league stage will be placed higher. If the wins are also the same, the team with the higher net run rate will be placed higher. If the NRR is also equal, the team with the higher number of wickets taken per legal balls bowled in matches with results will be considered higher. Hopefully we won't get that far.
You can throw that calculator out, we're not counting boundaries. If the scores are level in any game, then a Super Over will be played. If the Super Over is also tied, subsequent Super Overs shall be played until there is a winner. If it's not possible to play or complete the Super Over, the match will be tied and both teams will be awarded one point each.
Fair enough. Let's also take climate change into account because it doesn't (usually) rain in March in Mumbai. If it does, both teams need to bat a minimum of five overs to get a result, and the usual DLS rules apply.
Yes. Each team will be allowed a maximum of two unsuccessful reviews per innings. UltraEdge and HawkEye technologies will be available to the third umpire for edge detection and ball-tracking.
Yes, it's all business as usual.
As of now, there is free entry for women at both grounds. Boys and men have to purchase tickets starting at INR 100 (USD 1.2 approx.).
Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo