The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, the fourth edition of India’s premier women’s T20 franchise cricket tournament organized by the BCCI, is set to be an exciting season following a mega auction in November 2025.   

Two-time winners Mumbai Indians enter WPL 2026 as defending champions, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the only other side to have lifted the WPL trophy. Delhi Capitals have finished runners-up thrice, with Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz yet to reach a final. 

Here’s all you need to know before the WPL 2026 season begins: 

Starting Date And Duration 

The WPL 2026 kicks off on January 9, 2026, when defending champions Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, host 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), captained by Smriti Mandhana. 

The tournament will conclude with the final on February 5, 2026.

Venues For WPL 2026 

The WPL 2026, which will be the fourth season of India’s premier women’s T20 cricket league, will be played across two venues – DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and BCA Stadium in Vadodara. 

Navi Mumbai will stage 11 matches till January 17 before the action shifts to Vadodara for the remaining 11 fixtures, including the playoffs and final. 

Big Names Missing From WPL 2026 

RCB’s Ellyse Perry and Delhi Capitals’ Annabel Sutherland have pulled out for personal reasons. RCB have replaced Perry with Sayali Satghare while DC have signed Alana King. 

The likes of Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu and Heather Knight did not find any buyers at the auction. On the other hand, Jess Jonassen, Tahlia McGrath and Sophie Molineux did not register at all. 

Format For WPL 2026

The WPL has adopted a straightforward and exciting format that keeps every match crucial.

League Stage: All five teams will play each other twice in a round-robin format.

Playoffs: 

Eliminator: The second and third-placed teams on the points table will compete.

Final: The winner of the Eliminator will face the top-placed team from the league stage.

This format ensures that consistency throughout the league stage is rewarded, while also giving other strong contenders a chance to reach the final. 

Captains Of All Five Teams 

Mumbai Indians (MI): Harmanpreet Kaur

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana

Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues

Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner

UP Warriorz (UPW): Meg Lanning

Where can I watch the matches live?

Live Streaming And TV Broadcast In Different Countries 

Australia: Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports

England: Sky Sports

India: Star Sports and JioHotstar

South Africa: SuperSport

USA: Willow TV 

WPL 2026 Squads 

Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth

Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marzianne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Shree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Deeya Yadav, Taniyaa Bhatia, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D. Hemalatha

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Titas Sadhu, Kashee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Shivani Singh, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ayushi Soni

UP Warriorz: Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Tara Norris, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, G. Trisha, Pratika Rawal