After Tata IPL, it will also be Tata WPL. The Tata Group, one of the premier corporates in the country, has bagged the title rights of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The deal is understood to have been clinched between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the group on Tuesday (February 21).
Cricbuzz understands that Tata Sons, the holding company of the conglomerate, will have the title rights for the first five years and the products that will be leveraged during the league will be Tata Motors and Tata financial service.
The Tata group already holds the title rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Vivo, the Chinese handset manufacturer, pulled out of the agreement. The value of the WPL title sponsorship is yet to be confirmed.
The on-boarding of the title sponsor is a major step for the WPL and the BCCI, which called for tenders late last month. The BCCI already has a broadcaster – Viacom 18 – in place for the league, the maiden edition of which will run from March 4 to 26 and will be held entirely in Mumbai. The BCCI hit a jackpot of sorts by selling the franchises to five top business houses in the country. It earned Rs 4670 crore from the sale of the five teams. Adani Group, Reliance, RCB (Diageo), Delhi Capitals and Capri Global have the teams in the league which will have 22 games for the first three years.
The top BCCI brass could not be immediately reached for a comment but Cricbuzz has confirmation from multiple other sources, including the current stakeholders of the WPL and the corporate house.
The tender document for the title rights was up for sale till February 9 as per a BCCI statement, which had read, “The detailed terms and conditions governing the tender process including eligibility requirements, process for submissions of bids, rights and obligations of the title sponsor, etc. are contained in the ‘Request for Proposal’ (“RFP”) which will be made available on receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 1,00,000 (Indian Rupees One Lakh Only) plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax. The procedure to procure the RFP documents is enlisted in Annexure A to this notice. The RFP will be available for purchase till February 9, 2023.”
Later on Tuesday night, Jay Shah confirmed the development, saying the sponsorship has taken the WPL to the next level. “I am delighted to announce the #TataGroup as the title sponsor of the inaugural #WPL. With their support, we’re confident that we can take women’s cricket to the next level. @BCCI @BCCIWomen @wplt20 (sic),” the BCCI secretary said in a social media post.
