The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to return in 2026 with a revamped timeline, as the tournament begins earlier than in previous seasons. Here’s a complete guide to everything you need to know about WPL 2026 – including schedule, squads, format, and broadcast details.
The fourth season of the Women’s Premier League will get underway on January 9, 2026. The opening fixture will see defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a high-profile clash at Navi Mumbai, with the match scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.
The league will once again feature five franchises. Mumbai Indians enter the season as title holders, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be aiming to add a second championship to their cabinet. Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Giants (GG), and UP Warriorz (UPW) will be hoping to claim their maiden WPL title.
WPL 2026 Format:
The WPL 2026 season will follow a double round-robin structure, with each franchise facing every other team twice during the league phase. This format results in 20 matches in the group stage. At the end of the league phase, the top three teams on the points table will advance to the playoffs. The team finishing first will earn a direct place in the WPL 2026 Final.
Meanwhile, the teams placed second and third will contest the Eliminator, with the winner securing the remaining spot in the final and a chance to compete for the title. WPL 2026 will consist of 22 matches in total. The league phase will include 20 fixtures, followed by the Eliminator and the Final, which will decide the champions.
WPL 2026 Schedule:
NAVI MUMBAI LEG
Jan 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 10: UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz
Jan 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 14: UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz
Jan 16: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 17: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
VADODARA LEG
Jan 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Jan 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 26: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 29: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 30: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
Feb 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
PLAYOFFS – WPL 2026
February 3, 2026: Eliminator
February 5, 2026: Final
WPL 2026 Squads:
Delhi Capitals
Taniya Bhatia, Shree Charani, Chinelle Henry, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Mamatha Madiwala, Minnu Mani, Nandani Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues (C), Laura Wolvaardt, Alana King, Sneh Rana, Shafali Verma, Deeya Yadav, Niki Prasad
Gujarat Giants
Kanika Ahuja, Yastika Bhatia, Tanuja Kanwar, Ashleigh Gardner (C), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Kim Garth, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Happy Kumari, Beth Mooney, Anushka Sharma, Renuka Singh, Shivani Singh, Ayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Georgia Wareham, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Mumbai Indians
Nicola Carey, Rahila Firdous, Sanskriti Gupta, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth, Shabnim Ismail, G Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Poonam Khemnar, Hayley Matthews, Nalla Reddy, S Sajana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Triveni Vasistha
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Richa Ghosh, Grace Harris, D Hemalatha, Gautami Naik, Smriti Mandhana (C), Pratyoosha Kumar, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Linsey Smith, Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav
UP Warriorz
Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Shipra Giri, Asha Sobhana, Deepti Sharma, G Trisha, Chloe Tryon, Meg Lanning (C), Phoebe Litchfield, Suman Meena, Kiran Navgire, Charli Knott, Shikha Pandey, Pratika Rawal, Shweta Sehrawat, Simran Shaikh
Where to watch WPL 2026?
The fourth edition of the WPL will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network’s TV channels. In addition, the matches will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar.
