Women's IPL £95m deal 'a gamechanger for cricket'

The TV broadcast rights for the first five years of the new women’s Indian Premier League competition have sold for close to £100m, which has been hailed as a landmark moment for women’s cricket.

Jay Shah, honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, announced that Indian broadcaster Viacom18 had won the rights to the tournament. They have spent 951 crore rupees (£95.4m), which equates to R7.09 crore (£711,000) per match.

The first edition of the tournament is due to be played in March, with the five teams set to be decided later this month and player allocation via an auction next month. Eight of the 10 men’s IPL franchises have expressed a desire to secure a team.

“I am really thrilled that we have had such an encouraging response for a league that will revolutionise women’s cricket not just in India but across the globe,” said Shah.

“After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed!”

He added: “This is massive for women’s cricket”, while Mithali Raj, the former India captain who will play in the competition, heralded it as "a game-changer for women's cricket and cricket in general”.

The men’s IPL has been hugely successful since its launch in 2008 and last year secured a vast broadcast deal worth R104 crore (£11m) a match.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, the India wicketkeeper-batsman, has spoken for the first time since his involvement in a serious car crash last month. Pant suffered head, neck and leg injuries that are set to rule him out of cricket for most of this year, but said his surgery had been a success. Pant will miss India’s forthcoming Test series against Australia, a possible World Test Championship final appearance in June, and faces a race to be fit for a home World Cup in October.

“I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes,” he tweeted. “I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success. The road to recovery has begun and I am ready for the challenges ahead. Thank you to the BCCI, Jay Shah and government authorities for the support.

“From the bottom of my heart, I also would like to thank all my fans, team-mates, doctors and the physios for your kind words and encouragement. Looking forward to see you all on the field.”