WPL franchises tap into new advertisers but challenges last as startups stay away

Second season of WPL is set to begin from February 23.

It's a mixed bag for Women's Premier League (WPL) franchises who are all set to play in the second edition of the league starting February 23.

While the teams had more time to prepare this year than the inaugural season, things have not been very smooth for all on the sponsorship front.

Few factors that are affecting the sponsorship game for the WPL teams is a shorter window to close sponsorships, high advertising traction for the World Cup 2023 and the startup category being under pressure.

"It is a challenge if we cannot go to a brand a couple of months before the league starts. WPL dates came out recently while brands had planned their entire year campaign already. Also, this is an election year so it has been a bit tight in terms of date announcement (of WPL). It was only in February when we got venue confirmation which was too tight a schedule for some brands. Also, there has been an impact after the 2023 Cricket World Cup which has been seen across sporting leagues in India," Jinisha Sharma, director of Capri Sports that owns the WPL team UP Warriorz, said.

A lot of the marketing spends by brands for financial year 2024 have gone into the World Cricket Cup, reiterated Santosh N, managing partner at D and P Advisory, a valuation service provider.

"But the other concern is that there has not been much of a change when it comes to the pressure in the startup ecosystem. The Byju's, Swiggy of the world who were big advertisers in that segment are absent and they are spending dollars cautiously and are more focused on growth. One section of sponsors/advertisers is out of the frame leaving only traditional companies. This is also why WPL teams are not seeing much sponsorship revenue growth," he said.

Slow growth

A 10-15 percent increase in sponsorship revenue was expected for WPL teams in the second edition of the league. However, Santosh said that they are revising it little to no hike in sponsorship revenue for the second season.

"Teams will struggle to achieve the 10-15 percent hike. Some teams will be able to command a premium while others may see some drop. Rs 55-60 crore of sponsorship revenue combined and on an average Rs 11-12 crore per team is what we expect for this year as well which is largely the same as last year," he added.

UP Warriorz which was expecting a 20-25 percent hike in sponsorship revenue earlier now estimates similar sponsorship revenue like last year.

WPL not losing steam

But this doesn't mean that WPL is losing steam, said Santosh.

"The buzz is not going down. They are taking baby steps. Also, comparing WPL with IPL is unreasonable because women's cricket was not as established as men's cricket when IPL had started. From that perspective, marginal growth might not mean lack of interest for WPL. It is a new category that has been developed so it might take more time than IPL. In the medium to long-term, there will be benefits. The BCCI will also put efforts because even WPL is contributing to its bottom line. It is a slow start but it will pick up."

Unlocking new categories

Franchises have started unlocking newer categories as sponsors and advertisers. UP Warriorz this year has signed beauty brands like Kay Beauty and Pond's Sunscreen.

"There is still more room for female centric brands to associate with WPL as the consumer purse is controlled by women," Sharma said.

She also said that people are tracking women's cricket and WPL has accelerated the number of cricket games for women players.

Better turnout

In terms of turnout, Sharma is counting on Bengaluru cricket fans. "Last year, WPL was in Mumbai and we had a decent turnout for each game. I am sure Bengaluru won't disappoint. Delhi will be an interesting venue as it has more capacity. Opening weekend we expect a good turnout. Bengaluru has a great sporting culture."

First 11 games of WPL will be played in M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Franchises are also building their social media presence.

"There’s been quite a bit of engagement on social media, and the build up to the season has also been good," said Sanjay Adesara, Chief Business Officer (CBO), Adani Sportsline.

Sharma said they have gained 3,000-4,000 followers over the last week. "We know that there is still a gap when it comes to showcasing of stories of women cricketers. We are working on interview focused stories and are also shooting a docuseries for fans to know the stories of the players that will increase the following."

She also believes that the younger generation will take to women's sports faster than men's sports.