Tata Group agrees to sponsor WPL title but will IPL be priority after 2023?

New Delhi: The Tata Group has come on board as the title sponsor of the Women’s Premier League for the first five years. The group, which already holds the title rights of the Indian Premier League till 2023, stepped in after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) “Request for Proposal (RFP)” didn’t attract any interest.

News18 CricketNext has reliably learnt that Tata Group entered the scene only when there was no interest from any of the leading corporates in the country. The value of the deal is still unknown and all the formalities were inked on 21 February.

“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,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah tweeted.

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 pic.twitter.com/L05vXeDx1j

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 21, 2023

Tata entered the IPL scene when Vivo, the major phone manufacturer, decided to pull out three months ahead of the 2022 edition of the IPL. Vivo’s exit and Tata’s entry beefed up BCCI coffers as the Indian cricket board was set to get Rs 1,124 crore for the 2022 and 2023 edition, instead of the Rs 996 crore they would have got had Vivo continued.

With Tata group now venturing into the WPL, it remains to be seen whether they will continue with the Indian Premier League. The word around that is still tight-lipped but people tracking developments from close quarters indicate it may not be the case. Industry sources say Tatas are looking at exiting the IPL as title sponsors after this edition.

As far as WPL is concerned, the BCCI would have taken a sigh of relief to finally have a solid group as the title sponsor for the next five years. This came after the league got off to a brilliant start with a landmark broadcast deal.

“Viacom18 Media Private Limited will acquire the Media Rights from WIPL Season 2023 to WIPL Season 2027 for a cumulative figure of INR 951 crores (i.e., INR 7.09 crores per match),” a BCCI release had stated in January 2023.

Additionally, the Indian cricket board garnered Rs 4669.99 crore in total bid for the five teams for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League.

Also Read: Full list of players sold and unsold at WPL Auction

Adani Group bought the most expensive team of the tournament at Rs 1,289 crore, Mumbai Indians paid Rs 912.99 crore for the team, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals had successful bids of Rs 901 crore and Rs 810 crore respectively. The cheapest team was the Lucknow franchise which went Capri Global Holdings way for Rs 757 crore.

It was a busy day as far as the BCCI is concerned as the board also finalised the new apparel for the Indian cricket team. As reported by News18 CricketNext earlier in the day, Adidas is set to replace Killer Jeans as the apparel sponsor and a five-year deal is being worked out for the same. Official announcement regarding the same will also be expected soon.

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