The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season would run from January 9 to February 5, with two host cities: Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. WPL chairman Jayesh George revealed the dates for the league’s fourth season at the start of the WPL auction in Delhi on Thursday. The DY Patil Stadium, which recently hosted India’s historic Women’s ODI World Cup final victory, will host the tournament’s first match and the entire first leg.
Later, the action will transfer to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, where the final is slated for February 5. This is the first time the WPL would be contested in January-February, while the previous three editions were staged in February-March, shortly before the Indian Premier League. This is also the first season in which the league will not overlap with key international matches.
The November 27 auction was the league’s first mega auction since its founding in 2023, and it included the introduction of right-to-match (RTM) cards for each franchise. Mumbai Indians (MI) enter the season as defending champions, having won two of the previous three. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the title in 2024, while Delhi Capitals (DC) finished second in each of the previous three seasons.
Ten days after the WPL closes, the India women’s team will embark on a full tour to Australia, which will include three T20Is, three ODIs, and a Test match between February 15 and March 9.
Earlier this year, the WPL was held across four cities, Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Vadodara’s newly-built BCA Kotambi Stadium, Navi Mumbai’s iconic Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, and Bengaluru’s historic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium across four phases, marking the closest the league has come to a home-and-away format.
DC co-owner Parth Jindal expressed hope that the WPL would soon receive a longer window to accommodate a full-fledged home-and-away structure. Since its inaugural edition in 2023, the WPL has steadily expanded its geographical footprint. The first season was co-hosted by the Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, followed by the second season in Bengaluru and New Delhi.
The full schedule for the 2026 season of the premier tournament will be announced in due course by the BCCI.
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