Plan to introduce home and away format in Women’s Premier League: Arun Dhumal

Dhumal said having home and away games immensely help teams in building a fan base and the board wants to take that route as early as next season

New Delhi: Buoyed by the success of the inaugural Women’s Premier League, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal on Tuesday said that they plan to introduce the home and away format from season two but the number of teams will remain five for the next three years.

The first ever WPL turned out to be a hit among fans and players but as the tournament was staged within tough timelines and right after the Women’s T20 World Cup, the BCCI decided to organise all the games across two venues in Mumbai.

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Terming hosting of WPL the biggest challenge of his tenure, Dhumal said having home and away games immensely help teams in building a fan base and the board wants to take that route as early as next season.

“Well begun is half done. It has been a great beginning for WPL and going forward it is going to be much better than what we have seen so far. We have started with five teams but going forward there is scope for additional team given the pool of the players that is going to come in the years to follow.

“We are hoping increase in the number of teams but for the coming three seasons will remain five. We are surely looking at home and away format, we will see which time slot is available considering India’s international commitment and take a call.

“From a fan engagement point of view it is very important that we go for home and away format,” Dhumal said. Fans turned up in sizeable numbers to watch the games at Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium.