The Women Premier league (WPL) 2026 season would be conducted between January 9 and February 5 with two host cities (Navi Mumbai and Vadodara). WPL chairman Jayesh George announced the dates of the fourth season of the league in the beginning of the WPL auction in Delhi on Thursday. The tournament will be inaugurated with the first match and the first leg in the DY Patil Stadium where the recent unforgettable Women ODI world cup final of India was conducted.
Subsequently, the move will shift to Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara whereby the final will be held on February 5. It is the first time the WPL was to take place during January-February as the three preceding versions took place in February-March, just before the Indian Premier League. It is also the inaugural season when the league shall not coincide with some major international games.
The first mega auction by the league was November 27, and it also featured the introduction of right-to-match (RTM) cards of each franchise. As the defending champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) will go into the season having won two of the last three. In the current season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) became champion in 2024, with Delhi Capitals (DC) coming in second in the last three seasons. Ashley will also have a full tour to Australia visiting the India women team 10 days after the WPL closes and this tour will consist of three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test match between February 15 and March 9.
WPL Grows Bigger with Matches in Four Cities
This year the WPL was hosted in four cities: the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, the BCA Kotambi stadium, Vadodara, the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai and the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru, in four stages, the nearest the league has come to a home and away format.
DC co-owner Parth Jindal expressed optimism that the WPL would soon be granted a longer window to enable a full-fledged home-and-away system. Since its inception in 2023, the WPL has continuously increased its geographical reach. The first season was co-hosted by Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, with the second season held in Bengaluru and New Delhi.
The BCCI will soon release the full schedule for the top tournament’s 2026 season.
