IPL 2008 and WPL 2023 will always be the first-ever editions of the Indian Premier League and the Women’s Premier League. The two tournaments are among the most-followed cricket leagues in India. Their brand values are sky high as well, with different city-based franchises from India competing against each other to win the prestigious championship.
WPL 2023 started on March 4, and in just the first three matches of the tournament, there have been some coincidences between the Women’s Premier League and IPL 2008. In this listicle now, we will look at four such coincidences.
1. Inaugural match was a one-sided encounter in IPL 2008 and WPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders crushed the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of the IPL back in 2008. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians bulldozed the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural match of the Women’s Premier League.
2. First-ever 100-run partnership in IPL 2008 and WPL 2023 by a team from Delhi
Delhi Daredevils was the first team to stitch up a 100-run stand in IPL, with the batters being Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan. They achieved the feat against the Rajasthan Royals on Day 2 of IPL 2008. Similarly, WPL’s Delhi Capitals openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning had a partnership of 100+ against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Day 2 of the league.
3. 1st captain of Mumbai was a Punjab-born player
Harbhajan Singh was the first player to captain the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. Incidentally, Punjab-born Harmanpreet Kaur captained MI in their first WPL match as well.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore conceded more than 220 runs in their 1st match
Royal Challengers Bangalore are another common participant in IPL and WPL. The Bangalore-based franchise gave away 222 runs in their first IPL match against KKR. Similarly in WPL, RCB conceded 223 runs to DC in their first game.
