WPL 2026 begins tomorrow: Double headers return for the first time since the inaugural season.

The fourth season of the biggest women’s T20 WPL 2026 franchise league: A total of 22 matches will be played in Mumbai and Vadodara, with Jemimah Rodrigues captaining Delhi Capitals.

The Women’s Premier League (WPL 2026), the biggest domestic tournament in women’s cricket, is once again in the headlines. The fourth season of the tournament is starting in January. A total of 22 matches will be played between 5 teams in this competition. Defending champions Mumbai Indians will once again be looking to retain their title, but this time they will face several new challenges. The composition of all the teams has changed significantly after the mega auction.

This time, the tournament is starting in January instead of February/March. The captains of Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz have changed. Meanwhile, big star players like Ellyse Perry will not be seen on the field this time. Let’s take a look at all the important things related to the tournament’s venues, team contenders, and schedule…

WPL 2026 Opening: To begin with high-profile matches in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The tournament will begin on January 9th with a high-profile match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both teams are former champions. The tournament final will be held on February 5th next month.

Venue – 11 matches in each of the two cities.

This time, the wpl 2026 matches will be held in only two cities: Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The franchises wanted to play their matches on their home grounds, but due to the T20 World Cup and the Ranji Trophy, the BCCI had already booked the other major stadiums. Therefore, the first 11 matches will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, while the remaining 11 matches, including the Eliminator and the Final, will be played at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.

Schedule: Special window for the first time, no conflict with any other event.

Until 2025, this tournament was held in February-March. But now the BCCI has fixed the January-February window to avoid clashes with other tournaments. Additionally, after the first season, there will be “double headers” (two matches in a day). Two matches each will be played on January 10th and January 17th. The first match of the day will start at 3:30 PM and the evening match will start at 7:30 PM.

Changes: Lanning is now the captain of UP, and there will also be three new coaches.

The biggest change in the WPL 2026 season is in the captaincy. In Delhi Capitals, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues is the new captain, replacing Australian legend Meg Lanning. Meg Lanning will now captain UP Warriorz. The coaching staff has also seen changes. In Mumbai, Lisa Keightley has replaced Charlotte Edwards as the new head coach. In RCB, Malolan Rangarajan has taken over from Luke Williams, while in UP, Abhishek Nair has replaced John Lewis as coach.

Shock: Ellyse Perry and Sutherland will not be playing in wpl 2026 due to personal reasons.

There’s bad news for fans: RCB’s Ellyse Perry and Delhi’s Annabel Sutherland have withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons. RCB has signed Sayali Satghare as a replacement for Perry, and Delhi has signed Alana King in place of Sutherland. Additionally, star players like Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu, and Heather Knight went unsold in the auction. Jess Jonassen and Tahlia McGrath did not even register for the auction.

New faces: Keep an eye on South Africa’s Lizelle and 16-year-old Diya.

South Africa’s wicket-keeper opener, Lizelle Lee, is in superb form, having scored 305 runs in the Big Bash League. She will be playing for Delhi Capitals. Another new player for Delhi Capitals is 16-year-old Diya Yadav. She considers star player Shafali Verma her role model. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s fast bowler Milly Elkingworth imitates the bowling style of Australian legend Jeff Thomson and can bowl at a speed of 120 kmph.

Where to watch WPL 2026?

All WPL 2026 matches can be easily watched by fans from the comfort of their homes. The tournament will be broadcast live on television on the Star Sports network. For mobile and online viewers, live streaming of all matches will be available on the JioCinema app and its website.