NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals co owner Parth Jindal believes that "one or two new teams" could be added to the Women's Premier League in the near future, a move that would allow the BCCI to shift towards the "ideal" home and away format.
For the first three seasons, as well as the upcoming fourth, the BCCI has continued with the caravan model, staging the five team tournament across two to four cities.
The fourth edition is set to be played in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara from January 9.
Call for home and away format
Responding to a PTI query, Jindal said he would welcome a home and away structure in the WPL similar to the one followed in the IPL.
"We would love to see the WPL home and away as well, this caravan format is okay, but it's not ideal. I'm sure that the BCCI is working on it. The amount of time that they get is very short and that's why in order to, to fit the WPL within this window but I hope we get a bigger longer window for the WPL going forward," said Jindal.
"And it is imminent that, either one or two new teams will come in at some point. And that's why I think the cycle is such a short cycle with two WPLs over 14 months.
"So I'm pretty sure that the BCCI is planning on adding a team, and maybe with that addition, we move home and away. That would be ideal for the fans, for the game, and for the growth of the WPL," he added.
World cup win boosts confidence
Jindal said the recent Women's ODI World Cup triumph will take the sport’s popularity to a new level and added that his early investment in the WPL now feels even more rewarding.
"Three years ago, we all owners took a leap of faith into the women's game and we're so thrilled that we did that. And for us, when the bidding happened, we were very clear that this is a spot that is only going to go from strength to strength.
"I wrote it in one of my tweets as well that this World Cup win in 2025 is the 1983 movement for women's cricket. The interest in the WPL this season is going to be like it's never been before," Jindal said.
(With PTI Inputs)
