Reports: BCCI denies first right of refusal for current IPL owners in order to acquire team in Women's IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given an approval to conduct the eagerly-awaited Women's IPL from next summer onwards.  The decision was taken during the national cricket board's 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 18.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the BCCI is planning on going forward with an auction for its five official franchises for the inaugural edition. However, an assurance has also been given that there would be no first right of refusal for the existing IPL franchise owners.

The details are being worked out: BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla

"The details are being worked out and we will soon finalise how to go about it," Rajeev Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said as quoted by Cricbuzz. Asked about the first right of refusal to the IPL owners, he retorted saying, "You (reporters) seem to know more than the BCCI."

Even though the first edition of the Women's Indian Premier League is scheduled for March 2023, a proper scheduling can only be done after consulting the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

Meanwhile, another official has told Cricbuzz that there is no question of the first right of refusal in the first place as many IPL team owners are keenly interested in owning a women's cricket team. 

After multiple delays and improper execution in planning, the Women's IPL finally gets a chance to bring the best women's cricketers across the world under a single room. Just like the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), and The Hundred Women's, Indian cricket can now boast of having their own version of a women's franchise cricket tournament.

The WIPL will give an opportunity for the likes of Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Renuka Singh Thakur, etc. to play alongside some of the reputed women's cricketers across the globe. 

An increase in viewership in Indian women's cricket and some memorable performances like the Birmingham Commonwealth Games feat and the Women's Asia Cup win this year have played crucial role in BCCI coming up with the plan of organizing the Women's IPL.