Royal Challengers Bangalore CEO Rajesh Menon said the organization does not view the IPL and WPL as two different entities.

This unified approach to cricket management signals a shift in how franchises value women's sports, moving away from treating them as secondary additions to the men's game.

Speaking on CNBC TV18's Young Turks Reloaded program, Menon said that both leagues share equal infrastructure and a common team philosophy. He described the WPL as a category in the making rather than a separate league [1].

"We never saw WPL and IPL as two different entities at all," Menon said [1].

Menon contrasted the trophy timelines of the two squads to illustrate the women's team's immediate impact. He said that the RCB women's team lifted the WPL trophy in its first season [1]. In contrast, the men's team took 18 years to win the IPL [1].

Smriti Mandhana, captain of the RCB Women, also appeared in the discussion. Regarding the competitive drive between the two sides, Mandhana said, "I want to win the trophy before the men do it" [1].

The integration of the two leagues allows the franchise to apply a consistent operational model across genders. By treating the WPL as an equal part of the brand, RCB aims to leverage the momentum of the women's early success to bolster the overall identity of the franchise.

“"We never saw WPL and IPL as two different entities at all."”

The strategy adopted by RCB reflects a broader trend in professional sports where 'one-club' models are used to accelerate the growth of women's leagues. By utilizing the same infrastructure and philosophy as the established men's side, the WPL can bypass the slow growth phases typically associated with new sports leagues, while the men's side benefits from the brand prestige of the women's early championship success.