The WPL 2026 schedule is one of the most searched cricket calendars of the year, and for good reason. The Women’s Premier League has, in just a few seasons, become the second-biggest T20 franchise league in world cricket — behind only the men’s IPL — and its 2026 edition promises the deepest squads, the biggest crowds and the most competitive cricket the tournament has ever seen. Whether you are planning to follow every ball from the UK or you simply want one reliable reference page for fixtures, venues, teams and the points table, this guide covers the entire season.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and features five franchises: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants. The 2026 season is the tournament’s fourth edition, and it arrives with the women’s game riding an enormous wave of momentum — record attendances, a booming auction market for overseas stars, and a generation of young Indian players who grew up watching the league and are now starring in it.
This page is designed as your one-stop reference for the season: how the WPL 2026 schedule is structured, when the league stage and playoffs fall, where matches are played, how the points table and net run rate work, which players to watch, and exactly how UK viewers can follow the action. Bookmark it and check back — the structure below mirrors the official tournament format the BCCI uses each season.
What Is the Women’s Premier League?
The WPL was launched in 2023 as the women’s equivalent of the Indian Premier League. Five franchises were sold for record sums, a mega auction stocked the squads with the best women’s cricketers on the planet, and the inaugural season was an instant hit — packed stadiums in Mumbai, television ratings that surprised even the broadcasters, and a level of cricket that immediately silenced anyone who doubted the product.
Three editions in, the roll of honour reads: Mumbai Indians (2023 champions), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2024 champions) and Mumbai Indians again (2025 champions, beating Delhi Capitals in the final). Delhi Capitals have now reached three consecutive finals without lifting the trophy — a storyline that will dominate the narrative of the 2026 campaign.
Each season follows the same proven template: a double round-robin league stage, where every team plays every other team twice, followed by playoffs. The whole tournament is compressed into roughly five to six weeks, typically in the January-to-March window of the Indian domestic calendar, which slots neatly between the international women’s calendar and the men’s IPL.
WPL 2026 Schedule: Tournament Structure and Key Dates
The WPL 2026 schedule follows the format the league has used since its inception, and understanding that format is the key to following the season properly.
The tournament is traditionally played across a five-to-six-week window in the early part of the year. The exact dates are confirmed by the BCCI in the months leading up to the season, along with the official fixture list. What does not change is the structure:
- League stage: 20 matches — each of the five teams plays eight games (home and away against each of the other four teams).
- Eliminator: the teams finishing second and third on the points table meet in a single knockout match.
- Final: the winner of the Eliminator faces the team that finished top of the table.
That makes 22 matches in total, usually scheduled with one game per day on weekdays and double-headers on weekends to maximise prime-time television audiences in India — which, thanks to the time difference, translates into very watchable afternoon slots for UK viewers.
League Stage: How the Fixtures Are Arranged
The 20 league fixtures are arranged so that each team plays twice against every opponent. The BCCI’s fixture computer balances the schedule so that no team faces an unfair run of consecutive away games, and marquee clashes — Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians — are typically saved for weekend prime-time slots. The official fixture list is published by the BCCI and mirrored on major cricket portals such as ESPNcricinfo, which is worth bookmarking for confirmed dates and any schedule changes.
Matches are generally scheduled as evening games starting at 7:30 PM IST (2:00 PM GMT), with weekend double-headers adding an afternoon game at 3:30 PM IST (10:00 AM GMT). For UK fans, that means the evening games land in the early-to-mid afternoon — perfect for watching alongside weekend plans or on a lunch break during the week.
Playoffs and Final
The playoff system rewards consistency. The team that finishes top of the points table after the league stage goes straight through to the final — a huge advantage, as they avoid knockout cricket entirely until the biggest game of the season. The second- and third-placed teams contest the Eliminator, a winner-takes-all semi-final of sorts.
This format has produced drama every single season. In 2024, RCB finished third in the league stage and still went on to win the title via the Eliminator and final. In 2025, Mumbai Indians timed their run perfectly. The lesson for 2026: finishing top guarantees nothing except a direct ticket to the final — but finishing second or third keeps you very much alive.
WPL 2026 Schedule: The Five Teams and Squads to Watch
Mumbai Indians
The two-time champions and the league’s benchmark franchise. Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai’s squad blends Indian core strength — Harmanpreet herself, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia, and a battery of young Indian all-rounders — with some of the most destructive overseas talent in the women’s game. Nat Sciver-Brunt has been the league’s most valuable overseas player across multiple seasons, and the franchise’s scouting of emerging Indian talent remains the best in the business. Expect Mumbai to be favourites again in 2026.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The 2024 champions, captained by Smriti Mandhana, play the most entertaining cricket in the league — and their fanbase is arguably the most passionate. RCB’s formula is top-heavy batting brilliance: Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh can take any attack apart on their day. Their challenge in 2026 will be the same as ever: finding enough bowling depth to back up the batting fireworks. When RCB click, they are box office.
Delhi Capitals
Three finals, three defeats — Delhi Capitals are the nearly-women of the WPL, and that tag will either crush them or fuel them in 2026. Meg Lanning’s captaincy brings ice-cold tactical nous, and the squad is stacked with Australian know-how alongside India’s Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma. Delhi consistently top the league stage; their 2026 mission is brutally simple — win the final.
UP Warriorz
The league’s sleeping giants. UP Warriorz have the talent — Alyssa Healy’s leadership behind the stumps, Deepti Sharma’s all-round class, and exciting young Indian quicks — but have never quite assembled a complete campaign. If their Indian domestic core fires in 2026, they have the ceiling to beat anyone. Watch for their spin options on turning tracks.
Gujarat Giants
Still chasing a first playoff appearance, the Giants have rebuilt aggressively in recent auctions. Beth Mooney’s calm at the top of the order and Ashleigh Gardner’s all-round power give them a genuine world-class spine. For Gujarat, 2026 is about proving that smart recruitment can finally translate into knockout cricket.
WPL 2026 Venues: Where the Matches Are Played
One of the best features of recent WPL seasons is the multi-city caravan format, which takes the tournament to different parts of India rather than confining it to one hub. The venues used in recent editions — and expected to feature again in the WPL 2026 schedule — include:
DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
The spiritual home of the WPL, having hosted the inaugural season. A superb batting surface with true bounce and short square boundaries that reward aggressive strokeplay. Crowds here are loud, knowledgeable and enormous.
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
RCB’s fortress and one of the great T20 cauldrons in world cricket. Small boundaries, a lightning outfield and a crowd that treats every RCB six like a festival. Expect the highest-scoring games of the season here.
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Delhi Capitals’ home ground, where the pitches traditionally offer more for spinners as the tournament wears on. Smart teams pick an extra spinner for Delhi fixtures.
BCA Stadium, Vadodara
A newer international venue that has hosted WPL fixtures in recent seasons, offering excellent facilities and a fresh pitch that tends to be good for batting early in the tournament.
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
UP Warriorz’s home base — a large ground where the dimensions test batters’ power-hitting and reward canny pace bowling.
The exact venue allocation for the WPL 2026 schedule is confirmed when the BCCI releases the official fixtures, but the caravan model means fans across India get live WPL action, and television viewers get a variety of pitch conditions that keep the cricket tactically fascinating.
WPL 2026 Schedule Points Table: How It Works
The points table is the heartbeat of the league stage. Here is exactly how it works:
- Win: 2 points
- Loss: 0 points
- No result / tie: 1 point each (ties in the league stage are not decided by a Super Over; both teams share the points)
Teams are ranked first by points, then by net run rate (NRR) if teams are level. NRR is the average runs per over scored by a team across the tournament minus the average runs per over conceded — and it is why big wins and heavy defeats matter far beyond the two points at stake. A team that wins five close games can easily finish below a team that wins four games by huge margins, because NRR rewards dominance.
This creates fascinating late-tournament scenarios: teams do not just play to win, they play to win big, and NRR permutations dominate conversation in the final week of the league stage. If you are new to following the WPL, keep one eye on the NRR column from about the halfway point — it decides playoff spots more often than most fans expect.
For a deeper explanation of how rain-affected mathematics works in limited-overs cricket, see our guide to the DLS method explained — the same principles that govern interrupted matches in the WPL.
WPL 2026 Schedule: Players to Watch
The Indian Core
Smriti Mandhana remains the league’s biggest star — elegant, consistent and the face of RCB. Harmanpreet Kaur‘s power-hitting in the middle overs is Mumbai’s trump card. Jemimah Rodrigues has matured into one of the finest players of spin in the women’s game, while Shafali Verma‘s sheer ball-striking at the top of the order can decide games inside the powerplay. Keep an eye on Richa Ghosh, whose finishing ability rivals anyone in world cricket, and on the next wave of uncapped Indian talent the auction always unearths — every WPL season produces at least one breakout domestic star.
The Overseas Stars
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England) is quite simply the most complete cricketer in the women’s game — expect her to dominate again for Mumbai. Ellyse Perry (Australia) remains RCB’s Rolls-Royte all-rounder. Ashleigh Gardner (Australia) can win matches with bat, ball or in the field. Beth Mooney (Australia) is the calmest chase-master in T20 cricket. Amelia Kerr (New Zealand) brings world-class leg-spin and handy lower-order hitting. For England fans, the WPL is also a shop window: strong performances here shape international selection debates back home.
If you play fantasy cricket during the WPL, our women’s fantasy cricket tips for 2026 break down captaincy picks, differential selections and Dream11 strategy specifically for women’s T20 leagues.
WPL 2026 Schedule: How to Watch in the UK
UK viewers have been well served by WPL coverage in recent seasons, and the WPL 2026 schedule keeps the good times coming. The broadcast arrangements for 2026 are confirmed closer to the tournament, but the pattern of recent years is a reliable guide:
- Television: Sky Sports has carried live WPL coverage in the UK in previous seasons, typically on its dedicated cricket channels.
- Streaming: matches shown on Sky are available via the Sky Go app and NOW streaming service for subscribers.
- Timings: evening games in India (7:30 PM IST) start at 2:00 PM GMT — ideal afternoon viewing in the UK. Weekend afternoon double-headers (3:30 PM IST) begin at 10:00 AM GMT.
- Highlights and clips: official highlights packages are widely available on the league’s digital platforms within hours of each match finishing.
Because the WPL sits in a relatively quiet window of the cricket calendar, it rarely clashes with major men’s international series — another reason UK fans have embraced it.
What to Expect from the WPL 2026 Schedule
Three storylines will define the WPL 2026 schedule. First, can Delhi Capitals finally win a final? Three defeats in three years is either a curse or a launchpad, and Meg Lanning does not do curses. Second, which uncapped Indian player becomes this season’s breakout star? The WPL’s greatest gift to Indian cricket is its talent pipeline, and 2026 will mint new household names. Third, the overseas arms race: with the women’s international calendar busier than ever, squad availability and injury management will decide the title as much as on-field brilliance.
Tactically, expect the powerplay to keep getting more aggressive — women’s T20 batting has evolved enormously, with teams now regularly posting 180-plus totals that would have been unthinkable five years ago. Spin remains king in the middle overs on Indian pitches, and the team that best balances a gun overseas pace attack with quality Indian spin will lift the trophy.
For the broader context of where the women’s game sits in the global calendar, our ICC T20 World Cup 2026 guide covers the teams, venues and predictions for the year’s biggest women’s international tournament.
WPL 2026 Schedule: Tips for Following the Season
- Track NRR from the midpoint: once teams have played four or five games, the net run rate column tells you as much about playoff chances as the points column.
- Watch the auction: the WPL auction, held in the months before the season, reshapes every squad — follow it to understand each team’s strategy.
- Weekend double-headers are gold: two games in one day, often with playoff implications by the business end of the season.
- Follow young Indian talent: the WPL’s breakout stars of 2026 will be in India’s national team within a year — spot them first.
- Compare with The Hundred: if you enjoy the women’s Hundred in England, the WPL is its bigger, brasher cousin — our guide to The Hundred rules, format and teams is the perfect companion piece.
WPL 2026 Schedule: Key Takeaways
- The WPL 2026 schedule covers a five-to-six-week window with 22 matches: 20 league games, an Eliminator and a final.
- Five franchises compete: Mumbai Indians (two-time champions), Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants.
- Each team plays eight league matches; wins earn two points, with net run rate separating teams level on points.
- The top team goes straight to the final; second plays third in the Eliminator.
- Matches are staged across multiple Indian cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Vadodara and Lucknow.
- UK viewers can watch afternoon games from around 2:00 PM GMT, with Sky Sports carrying previous seasons.
- Delhi Capitals’ hunt for a first title after three final defeats is the defining storyline of 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the WPL 2026 schedule start?
The WPL is traditionally played in the early months of the year across a five-to-six-week window. The BCCI confirms the exact start date and releases the full official fixture list in the months leading up to the season. The format is fixed — 20 league matches followed by the Eliminator and final — so fans can plan around the structure even before dates are announced.
How many teams play in the WPL?
Five franchises: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants. Each squad is built through a player auction and combines India’s best domestic and international players with a quota of overseas stars.
How does the WPL points table work?
Teams earn two points for a win, zero for a loss and one point each for a no-result or tie. If teams finish level on points, net run rate (NRR) decides the ranking. The top three teams reach the playoffs: first place goes directly to the final, while second and third contest the Eliminator.
Who won the last WPL season?
Mumbai Indians won the 2025 edition, defeating Delhi Capitals in the final to claim their second title. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won in 2024, and Mumbai Indians won the inaugural season in 2023. Delhi Capitals have finished as runners-up in all three seasons so far.
Where is the WPL 2026 played?
Recent seasons have used a multi-city caravan format with venues including DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai), M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi), BCA Stadium (Vadodara) and Ekana Stadium (Lucknow). The exact venue split for 2026 is confirmed with the official fixture release.
How can I watch WPL 2026 in the UK?
Sky Sports has broadcast the WPL live in the UK in previous seasons, with streaming available via Sky Go and NOW. Evening games in India start at approximately 2:00 PM GMT, making them ideal afternoon viewing. Final broadcast details are confirmed closer to the tournament.
How is the WPL different from the IPL?
The WPL is the women’s franchise T20 league run by the BCCI, with five teams compared to the IPL’s ten. It is shorter — around five to six weeks and 22 matches — and is played in a different window of the calendar. In terms of quality and commercial scale, it is already the second-biggest T20 league in world cricket.
Which players should I watch in WPL 2026?
Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh are the established superstars. But the WPL’s greatest joy is its uncapped Indian talent — every season produces breakout domestic players who go on to star for India.
Conclusion
The WPL 2026 schedule offers five to six weeks of the highest-quality women’s franchise cricket on the planet, packaged in a format that is easy to follow and perfectly timed for UK viewers. With 22 matches across iconic Indian venues, a points-table race that invariably goes down to net run rate, and the delicious narrative of Delhi Capitals chasing a first title against the might of Mumbai Indians and RCB, the 2026 season has all the ingredients of a classic.
Use this WPL 2026 schedule guide as your reference point through the season — the structure, the venues, the playoff format and the UK viewing information will not change. And if the first three editions are anything to go by, expect the unexpected: new stars, last-over thrillers and a final that nobody saw coming.