Should IPL sponsors buy the WPL too?

The question.

The WPL auction in Kochi on 28 October filled 25 of 27 open places. The fifth season runs from 14 January to 7 February 2027, ahead of the IPL. Should a brand that already buys IPL assets add the WPL, or keep its money on the men's league?

What we know.

The auction was small and cheap. Australia captain Sophie Molineux was the top buy at Rs 1.1 crore to UP Warriorz, with RCB dropping out at Rs 1.05 crore. Kiran Navgire was the costliest Indian at Rs 75 lakh to Delhi Capitals. Mumbai Indians started with the smallest purse, Rs 90 lakh, and signed six players (The Tribune). Each team's total purse stayed at Rs 15 crore (Business Today).

Brands have been moving in. The 2026 season had 15 league sponsors, from SBI and Tata Capital to OpenAI's ChatGPT. Industry estimates in January put women's cricket budgets up 30-50% and franchise partnerships up 10-15% a year, while also noting the IPL is still far larger in matches and reach.

Rights holders are already bundling the two. Nike's new kit deal with Mumbai Indians, announced on 25 October, covers both the IPL and WPL teams from 2027 (Business Today).

The case for adding the WPL.

It is the only cricket property with a settled squad right now. IPL retentions close on 15 November and the auction is on 16 December, so most IPL briefs are still waiting on names. The WPL roster is known today.

It also fills a gap in the calendar. A brand that runs from mid-January into the IPL gets a longer run of cricket presence than the IPL alone gives. Several WPL teams share owners with IPL sides, including MI, RCB and Delhi Capitals, which makes a two-league deal simpler to negotiate. A sponsor that brings both to the table has more to trade for a better rate.

The case against.

The audience is smaller and the season is short, about four weeks. Reports call the growth strong, but most figures are industry estimates, not audited data. A brand that needs mass reach in one burst will still get more of it from the IPL. And a cheap auction tells you about player costs, not what sponsorship slots will cost.

Our view.

Treat the WPL as an add-on bought with the IPL deal, not a separate bet. If your IPL team has a WPL side, ask for both in one contract, with the WPL priced as a lead-in to the main season. Then measure it on its own terms. Just remember that to do that - You need to lock in your deals by December 2026.

Screen time is a poor guide on its own. In one IPL 2026 match TrueVal measured, a jersey sponsor's 425 seconds of first-innings visibility was worth about 25 seconds of paid airtime, a 17:1 gap. That is one asset in one match, a sample, not a benchmark. But it is a reason to price any new property on what the exposure is worth, not on how long the logo was seen.