Get ready for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. The schedule for the fourth season is here, and it looks exciting. The tournament starts on January 9 with a big game: Mumbai Indians, the current champions led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will play against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won in 2024. They’ll face off at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. With two championship teams going head to head, expect a night full of intense, top-tier cricket. It’s set to be one of the best opening matches the WPL has ever had.
The WPL is changing things up, moving to January and February instead of February and March like before. This avoids conflicts with international tours and the men’s cricket season. Because of this switch, the WPL 2026 final will be on a weekday, Thursday, February 5, rather than the weekend. The league will finish right before the men’s T20 World Cup starts on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. The first game is between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo.
This 28-day tournament includes 22 matches at two locations. The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the same place where India’s women’s team won their first ICC title by beating South Africa in the ODI World Cup, will host the first part. It will host 11 games, with doubleheaders on the afternoons of January 10 and 17. The rest of the games during this period will be evening games for fans all over the country.
After the Mumbai matches, the league heads to Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara for the last eleven games. Vadodara will host the big ones: the Eliminator on February 2 and the final match on February 5. This setup keeps the WPL’s usual style and lets fans in other areas see great women’s cricket live. Teams will need to get used to the different fields fast, as this could really change how the games go.
Like past years, the tournament will have the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants, and Delhi Capitals playing each other twice. After this stage, the team with the best record goes straight to the final. The second and third-place teams will then play each other for the other spot. Since each team has eight games, playing well consistently is essential to get to the final.
Mumbai Indians are heading into the 2026 season as the top team in WPL history, with two wins in the first three years. They’ve got a well-rounded team, good leadership, and solid batting and bowling, making them favourites again. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after their first title in 2024, want to get back to their winning ways, kicking off the season strong against MI. At the same time, the Delhi Capitals are still trying to break through after finishing second in all three seasons. They play well all the time, which makes them tough, but there’s a lot of pressure to win this year finally.
UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants are still trying to get to a WPL final. They’ve both had good times before, but haven’t been steady when it counts. This season gives them another shot to get back on track, rethink their plans, and fight the best teams for a playoff spot.
Just to add to the buzz, the Indian women’s cricket team is heading to Australia for a big tour across all formats right after the WPL wraps up. Starting February 15 and going until March 9, they’ll play three T20S, three ODIs, and a single Test match. This makes WPL 2026 a key chance for players to find their form and get confident before they head abroad for this overseas tour.
WPL 2026 is set to be a hit! With a great opening match, a new time of year, two cool locations, and some rivalries in the works, fans can look forward to a lot of excitement. You can expect some great play, new players to watch, and really close games as the league continues to push women’s cricket forward, both in India and globally.