The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) is scheduled to run from January 9 to February 5, signaling a significant adjustment in tournament timing. The league chairman Jayesh George named the dates, at the onset of a WPL auction ceremony which took place in Delhi on Thursday. Navi Mumbai and Vadodara will be hosting the tournament this year.
Two-City Format Returns
The opening games along with the first leg of the WPL 2026 would be played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai – the same stadium where Team India recently celebrated their Women’s ODI World Cup triumph. The league will also shift to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara post Phase 1 and will play its grand finale there on February 5.
This will be the maiden edition of the WPL in the January–February window; previously there have been three editions in February–March, immediately before the IPL. It also means the league does not overlap with any major international fixtures, giving players and supporters a definite window.
Inaugural Mega Auction Featuring RTM Cards
Thursday’s draft was the first mega auction since the start of WPL in 2023 when a resumption has been attempted previously it had just continued where it left off. For the first time, franchisees could use RTM cards, which offered more strategic flexibility for teams to hold back their players.
Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions – they have won two of the three previous editions. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the winners with Delhi Capitals (DC) being the runners-up in all three seasons till now.
Only 10 days after the WPL ends, India women will take off on a full tour of Australia – three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test (February 15 March 9).
Calls for a Home-and-Away Format
While the WPL did test a wider model earlier in 2021 – had matches in Lucknow, Vadodara, Mumbai and Bengaluru so too does the 2026 edition return to two just venues as was seen for 2024.
DC co-owner Parth Jindal said he hoped the league, in future, would have a complete home-and-away format.
Steady Expansion of the WPL
The WPL has slowly grown its geographic presence since it debuted in 2023. The inaugural season saw all games taking place in Mumbai, where they were shared between Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium. The league is expected to expand further as interest in women’s cricket skyrockets across India.