WPL window locked by BCCI, Champions Trophy 2025 clash imminent

The third season of the Women's Premier League is likely to begin on February 6, 2025. WPL will be held for a month during February-March next year. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will begin the tournament as defending champions.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn't confirmed the dates but have already pointed out the window for the tournament. Proposed date for the beginning of the tournament has been shared with the respective franchises during the WPL auction recently.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan match after the tournament being taken up

BCCI pinpoints window for WPL Season 3

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the tournament will be played from February 6 to March 9, 2025. The tournament will feature 22 matches, just like the first two seasons. BCCI was earlier planning to include a new team for the tournament but the idea has been dropped for now.

A total of five teams will participate in the tournament as it was the case in the first two seasons. The five teams participating teams are Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants.

Venues yet to be decided

While the dates have been proposed, the venue for WPL 2025 is yet to be decided. Currently, Lucknow and Ahmedabad are ahead in the race to host the tournament. Bengaluru, which is the home to the defending champions RCB Women's team, has not been considered according to a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official.

Even Mumbai, which is the home to Mumbai Indians Women's team, has not been considered as well according to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). Mumbai Indians won the inaugural season of WPL.

Delhi is also unlikely to host this season due to the harsh winter conditions in the capital and the venue is the home to Delhi Capitals Women's team, which has finished runners-up in both seasons so far.

Will Lucknow and Ahmedabad host WPL 2025?

It means that Lucknow and Ahmedabad are in line to host the tournament. Lucknow is the home to UP Warriorz Women's team while Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium is the home to Gujarat Giants.

While some franchises have asked the BCCI to host the season in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) is not convinced whether the stadium will be available for the whole month or not.

Both Lucknow and Ahmedabad are also home to the IPL teams Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. With the gap not being much between the conclusion of WPL and the beginning of IPL, there won't be many gaps to prepare a good pitch for the men's tournament.

The BCCI will make a final decision in a few days. Meanwhile, it is likely that there will be a gap of just one week between the end of the Women's Premier League and the beginning of the Indian Premier League next year. The IPL 2025 is set to start on March 14.

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the winners of the first two seasons respectively. Both Mumbai and Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals to emerge as the winners. The win for RCB was the franchise's first-ever title win across both IPL and WPL.