Right after the player auction, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) schedule has been announced, and for the first time in four seasons, the final is scheduled on a weekday instead of a Sunday. WPL 2026 will feature two double-headers at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The WPL 2026 schedule has been announced, and Mumbai Indians will enter the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League as the defending champions of the tournament. They won it for the second time in WPL 2025, with RCB Women second among the previous winners.
Delhi Capitals will be hoping to finally win the WPL title after finishing as runners-up in the first three seasons.
This time there are many surprises in the schedule of WPL, because the final has been announced on 5th February i.e. Thursday. This is the first time that it will be held on a weekday, and the double-headers will be played on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium.
The dates and venues of the edition were confirmed by WPL President Jayesh George on Thursday, the day of the WPL auction. Furthermore, this is the first time that the WPL will be played in the January-February window.
WPL 2026 Schedule:
Navi Mumbai leg
January 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
January 10: UP Warriors vs Gujarat Giants
January 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
January 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
January 12: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs UP Warriors
January 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
January 14: UP Warriors vs Delhi Capitals
January 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriors
January 16: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants
January 17: UP Warriors vs Mumbai Indians
January 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Vadodara leg
January 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
January 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
January 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriors
January 24: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals
January 26: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians
January 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
January 29: UP Warriors vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
30 January: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
February 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriors
February 3: Eliminator
5 February: Final
DY Patil will host the first half, while Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara will host the second half of the tournament.
The WPL is usually played in a window of approximately 28 days, as the competition consists of 5 teams and a total of 22 matches. As a result, the event may be split between two venues, with the second venue usually also hosting the knockout games.
The first part of the tournament, i.e. 11 matches, will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, a ground that is in the history of women’s cricket as India won its first women’s ICC title at this venue. These 11 matches will include two double headers of the competition.
The action will then shift to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, where the remaining 11 matches will be played, including both the eliminator and the final. As per WPL norms, the eliminator consists of a match between No. 2 and No. 3 from the points table at the end of the group stage matches.
The winner of the eliminator takes on the No. 1 team in the points table, who advances directly to the finals.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to start after WPL 2026
The week of WPL will also be a very important week from the point of view of international cricket, because just a day after the WPL final, the Men’s Under-19 World Cup final will take place, and after another day, the Men’s T20 World Cup will begin.
India and Sri Lanka will jointly host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This is the reason why the WPL window was extended from February-March to January-February.
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