From Navi Mumbai to Vadodara, The WPL 2026 Schedule You Need to Know

The fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League, WPL begins on January 9, 2026, with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

On paper, it is a blockbuster opening fixture. In reality, it is also a statement of intent. WPL 2026 is not just another season of franchise cricket it is the clearest sign yet that the league has matured into a strategically placed, commercially confident, and culturally significant sporting property in India.

Running across 28 days and featuring 22 matches, the WPL has been repositioned into a January–February window, concluding just before the Men’s T20 World Cup begins. This shift is far from cosmetic. It reflects the BCCI’s growing understanding of calendar economics and audience behavior. Rather than competing with men’s global events, the WPL now complements them, acting as a lead-in that keeps cricket fans engaged through a near-continuous stretch of premium content.

Two Cities, Two Phases

The tournament will unfold across two venues: Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium and Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium. The opening leg in Navi Mumbai is designed as a high-intensity launchpad. Eleven matches will be played in just nine days, including the only two double-header days of the season. The logic is simple: maximize early momentum, pack the stadiums during the post-New Year period, and lock in television and digital audiences immediately.

From January 18 onwards, the league shifts to Vadodara for the remaining nine league matches, followed by the Eliminator and Final. Unlike the breakneck pace of Navi Mumbai, this phase is more spaced out, with multiple rest days carefully aligned with India’s men’s international fixtures. The result is a rare example of scheduling harmony women’s league matches and men’s internationals enhancing each other rather than competing for attention.

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Five teams once again contest the title: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz. While the Mumbai Indians enter as defending champions and clear favorites, the gap between the sides has arguably never been narrower.

MI, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, remains the most settled unit in the league. With Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, and Amelia Kerr providing all-round excellence, and Shabnim Ismail leading a potent pace attack, Mumbai appear built for both consistency and peak performance. Their continuity, combined with an all-female coaching setup, underlines a franchise confident in both vision and execution.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, captained by Smriti Mandhana, continue to revolve around their experienced core. Ellyse Perry’s presence ensures balance, while Richa Ghosh and Shreyanka Patil represent the new wave of Indian match-winners. The challenge for RCB remains familiar: translating promise into sustained results across a short, unforgiving league.

Delhi Capitals present perhaps the strongest top order on paper. Jemimah Rodrigues leads a side that includes Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt. DC have dominated league stages in previous seasons but have lacked finishing power when it matters most. WPL 2026 is another opportunity to correct that narrative.

Gujarat Giants, under Ashleigh Gardner, look determined to shed their reputation as underachievers. With Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine and Danni Wyatt-Hodge at the top, and a strengthened bowling unit featuring Renuka Singh Thakur and Titas Sadhu, the Giants finally appear balanced enough to challenge consistently.

UP Warriorz were the biggest talking point of the November 2025 auction. The acquisition of Deepti Sharma for a record ₹3.2 crore instantly transformed their spin resources, especially alongside Sophie Ecclestone. With Meg Lanning taking over leadership duties, UPW look tactically sharper and far more robust than in earlier editions.

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The broader context makes WPL 2026 particularly significant. India’s women cricketers return to franchise action still riding the momentum of their historic ODI World Cup triumph. That success has altered public perception, commercial value, and expectations. Young domestic players are no longer just squad fillers; they are central to team strategies, commanding serious investment and responsibility.

Venues like Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium also reflect the league’s infrastructural ambition. High-scoring pitches, modern facilities, and prime-time scheduling ensure that the business end of the tournament is tailored for spectacle, not survival.

As WPL enters its fourth year, it has moved beyond the experimental phase. The questions are no longer about viability but about dominance, legacy, and global relevance. When Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru walk out on January 9, they will be opening a season that could well be the most refined, most competitive, and most consequential in the league’s short but impactful history.