Australia’s ladies are set for an enormous pay day because the franchises for the inaugural Women’s Premier League are revealed.
The preliminary 5 franchises have been snapped up in a rabid bidding conflict in India on Wednesday, collectively bought for a staggering AU$806 million.
It follows the WPL’s broadcasting rights being bought to Viacom for AU$167m over 5 years.
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“Today is a historic day in cricket,” wrote BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah on Twitter.
“This marks the beginning of a revolution in women’s cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead,” he stated.
The first WPL public sale will likely be held in early February forward of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.
While the Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore sides have been bought by their respective males’s equal house owners, the Ahmedabad facet was bought by Adani Sportsline, owned by Indian tycoon Gautam Adani, for AU$223m.
Adani is understood in Australia for his controversial Carmichael mine in central Queensland, however it isn’t his first foray into cricket, with the tycoon buying the Gulf Giants on this yr’s inaugural ILT20 competitors within the UAE.
Former Test bowler Holly Ferling stated it was “game changing.”
Australian quick bowler Megan Schutt stated the nationwide enjoying group have been “nervous” about what was to come back, with solely seven abroad slots out there in every squad and 5 abroad gamers allowed in every enjoying XI.
That leaves 30 slots for full member internationals, and Schutt stated she anticipated most, if not all, of Australia’s high gamers to have put their hand up.
“We’ve all talked about whether we’ve put our names in there or not…we’re all a bit nervous to be honest,” Schutt stated.
“No one wants to be that kid in high school where your name doesn’t get called out and no one picks you, so it’s a bit nerve wracking.”
All rounder Grace Harris confirmed on Twitter that she had registered, however had “no expectations” of being taken within the public sale.
Aussies dominated the ICC T20I Team of the Year, with Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, and Beth Mooney all being chosen.
McGrath was named the perfect T20I participant on the earth, solely a yr into her T20I profession.
Averaging 62 with the bat and taking 13 wickets final yr, McGrath is predicted to be one of many hottest properties when the public sale kicks off.
The timing of the announcement and public sale for Australia’s gamers comes at an ironic time as they host Pakistan, as cricket author Rick Eyre identified on Twitter.
“Half the players on the field will be hopeful of big paydays at the coming WPL auction,” he stated.
“The other half will be shut off from that hope because of their nationality.”
Due to ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, Pakistani gamers have been frozen out of the Indian Premier League because the inception of the boys’s match in 2008.
Guardian sportswriter Jonathan Liew has stated it has been a call “driven largely by ideology, nationalism and geopolitics.”
“This, more than any amount of ICC politicking or revenue-grabbing, is the best way of understanding India’s influence over world cricket,” he stated.
Originally printed as Women’s Premier League franchises snapped up for $806m
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
