Three years can make a big difference in women's cricket. January 2023 marked the change in women's cricket when five franchises were sold for almost half a billion pounds to create the first-ever Women's Premier League (WPL). Suddenly, it seemed that a successful women's league was on the cards.
Players have been pushing for a women's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They want a platform that will provide a secure income, great opportunities and long-term exposure for women's cricket. While the IPL has changed men's cricket completely, the WPL promises the same impact. However, as we come into another season of the league, can they maintain their position at the forefront of women's franchise cricket?
From a groundbreaking launch to a global franchise race: WPL
Even prior to the establishment of the WPL, women's cricket has seen incredible moments with a massive global audience watching the 2017 Women's World Cup Final at Lord's. The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was also a packed stadium, demonstrating the potential of women's cricket.
However, the WPL provided a great opportunity for the existing owners of the IPL to invest money in women's cricket.
During the first-ever auction, we saw players such as Smriti Mandhana from India sell for over £300,000. This would have been a very hard-to-imagine figure to achieve for any one woman's franchise league contract just a few years ago. The franchises have also built up a good fanbase with loyal followers.
Many individual players have become much more recognized, with bigger social media following and some stand-out performances such as Issy Wong's hat-trick.
The WPL has shown that there can be big investments into women's cricket, with lots of commercial interest. The competition has provided a great platform for the elite players to play in a competition similar to the leading men's competitions. However, the initial success of the competition may not be sustained.
The mini-auction shows limitations of a 5-team league
We have seen from the latest mini-auction that there are some issues with the competition. Due to the mega-auction last year and the new squads, there were only 27 spots to fill across the franchises, with only 7 international spots. This means that there will not be any drastic changes made to how the international players are distributed.
Furthermore, the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh meant that only Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Molineux were picked up at the highest reserve price. Many established international players such as Alana King, Alice Capsey and Danni Wyatt-Hodge were missing from the auction.
While the WPL still provides amazing wages for the top players such as Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ash Gardner and top Indian Internationals, there is little incentive for many players lower down the pecking order to commit to playing in the competition.
While this may not be an issue for the top marquee players, it can be quite difficult to get enough depth in the league. With few opportunities and middle tier wages not matching up to other competitions, the WPL will struggle to gain enough international variety.
International Cricket is becoming a bigger competitor
Women's franchise cricket has become extremely competitive. Not only are the leagues competing for attention but now they are also competing for players.
The fixtures clash between the T20I series in Sri Lanka and the end of the WPL have shown us this. When players can play for their country or have similar wages in competitions like the Hundred and WBBL, the decision can become complicated.
The WPL used to have a clear advantage over other competitions regarding wages, but this is becoming less of an issue due to other competitions investing more in the product.
This does not mean that international cricket poses a threat to the women's franchise model. It does however show that women's cricket is progressing. As women's cricket grows, it can be quite difficult for the national boards and franchise leagues to work together. The WPL needs to provide an attractive product so players want to play in the competition.
We can see how fast things are progressing with the growth of competing leagues. With the Hundred investing more money, players at the top end are getting higher wages, but so are players in the middle. The WBBL have also changed their recruitment process for players, meaning that there are opportunities for higher wages.
While the WPL provides the highest wages for the top players in women's cricket, the overall wage structure is not keeping up with some of the other competitions.
For example, Mandhana has had her wages increase in the Hundred almost 3 times since 2023. The highest wages have also increased significantly. Other leagues are trying to invest more money to attract and retain the top players.
As well as the top player in the competition, it is important that the competition provides fair wages for lots of players. This makes it more attractive for upcoming players to commit to the league.
However, if other competitions continue to increase the amount of money they provide and the WPL do not provide much better wages for the middle tier players, they will lose out on their initial advantage.
Kathryn Bryce demonstrates the benefit and limitations of the Associate rule
A great example of the current structure of the WPL is Kathryn Bryce. The league has a rule that allows a franchise to play one extra international from an associate country. This can be done within the rules of the squad.
Sometimes the difference between an associate and full member can be misleading in terms of skill. Scotland have proven how competitive they are against established international sides and Kathryn has developed into a highly rated T20I all rounder.
Despite this, she was picked up in the 2027 WPL auction at the lowest base price. She went to UP Warriors for around £8000. However, Manchester Supergiants signed her for the Hundred for £65000.
This shows how while the associate rule provides a great opportunity for players like Bryce to enter the WPL, there aren't too many opportunities for them to earn much money. If the competition were bigger with more franchises and teams needing players, international players with all-round skills would have more opportunity to negotiate better contracts.
This also highlights whether the WPL should stay a small competition with the most established players in the world or whether they should open up more.
Also read: Albie Morkel to CSK: 3 Big Concerns Ahead of Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2027 Campaign
More teams could be the next step for WPL
Having a 5-team competition has its advantages. It brings the best players together and produces high-quality games. However, it can limit how many players can play in the competition, making it harder for young players to get involved. It also limits the number of markets in which franchises can build a sustainable following.
Due to the nature of the competition geographically, most teams don't really have a real home ground. If the competition expanded it could allow them to reach more fans in India.
However, having more franchises in the competition would need to be properly supported. There would need to be enough depth in the player pool, better domestic development, a well-thought-out schedule and sustainable investment. Otherwise it could cause the quality of the competition to drop.
However, having more teams could provide more jobs. It would also provide more opportunities for international players and young Indian players. It would also attract more interest from broadcasters, sponsors and fans.
The next step in the women's cricket revolution
The WPL is an incredible step for women's cricket. It has helped normalize big investments into the franchise, increased the wages of elite players and provided a great platform for women's cricket in India.
However, with the global market growing, other competitions such as the Hundred and WBBL are improving their financial offering. International cricket is also becoming a bigger competitor. The WPL can no longer be relied on to be the newest and highest paying opportunity.
In order to progress, the WPL will need to think bigger. They need to provide more opportunities for players, better wages for those outside of the top tier, more geographic reach and have a sustainable expansion plan.
While the WPL have had incredible success in the beginning, it is important that this translates into ongoing growth. If the WPL want to be the benchmark for women's franchise cricket, then stagnation could be the biggest threat.