WPL 2023 player auction likely on February 11 or 13

The Women's Premier League 2023 (WPL) player auction is likely to take place on February 11 in Delhi or February 13 in Mumbai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was looking to hold the players' auction on February 6, but it has been reported that the franchise owners have requested the board to postpone it.

The five new franchises have less than a month to be prepare for the inaugural edition of the tournament, which is expected to take place between March 4 and 24. One of the reasons behind the delay in auction date is that the owners are looking to assemble their coaching staff before going into the auction.

Furthermore, the owners of WPL teams are also invested in the ongoing ILT20 2023 and SA20 2023 tournaments as well, with the final of the former scheduled on February 12 and the latter on February 13. All the matches of the marquee tournament are expected to take place in the month of March, although no official confirmations have been made by the governing bodies yet.

WPL 2023 likely to take place in Mumbai

According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI is looking to host the entire first edition of the tournament in Mumbai, with Brabourne Stadium and Dr. D.Y. Patil National Sports Academy likely to schedule all 22 matches. 

The reason behind limiting the tournament to one city is to avoid logistical challenges due to WPL's schedule close to the Women's T20 World Cup 2023, which ends on February 26. Playing in just one city will benefit the players to avoid travelling and other challenges. However, the move likely to upset team owners, who will be hoping for home and away games, similar to the men's IPL tournament.