The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set for a fresh twist in its fourth season. Traditionally staged in the February–March window, the five-team tournament will now be played earlier than usual. The league is likely to begin on January 6 or January 8, 2026, ensuring it is completed before the Men’s 2026 T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February–March next year.
This advancement also has a knock-on effect on the auction. Usually conducted in December, the WPL player auction is now expected to be held in November 2025.
Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, will enter the new season with a dominant legacy. They defeated Delhi Capitals by eight runs in the 2025 final at the Brabourne Stadium on March 15, with England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt leading the batting charts.
Her 523 runs at an average of 65.37 were unmatched, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also played a major role with 302 runs. On the bowling front, Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews both finished with 18 wickets, with Kerr edging ahead on a countback due to conceding fewer runs.
This was not MI’s first taste of glory either. The franchise had also clinched the inaugural WPL title in March 2023, again at the Brabourne Stadium, defeating Delhi Capitals by seven wickets.
The other contenders in the league—Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2024 champions), Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz—will now be preparing for the shifted window in what will also serve as crucial build-up to the Women’s T20 World Cup in June–July 2026.
For the Indian team, the WPL has already proved transformative. Ahead of the ODI opener against Australia at Mullanpur, captain Harmanpreet Kaur reflected on how the league has bridged the once-daunting gap between domestic and international cricket.
She began by underlining the quality of youngsters, “They’ve (Team India’s young women cricketers) been very exciting. Four or five years ago, there was a big gap between domestic and international cricket. But in the last five–six years, with back-to-back matches being telecast, young girls are much better prepared.”
Harmanpreet then cited examples of fresh faces ready for the big stage, “Players like Kranti (Goud) and Pratika (Rawal) came in looking ready, not like they needed extra time. That’s a huge positive.”
Finally, she pointed to the WPL’s key role in this transformation, “The WPL has also played a big role in closing that gap. I just hope they keep performing this way.”
India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar echoed those sentiments after his side’s landmark first-ever T20I series win against England earlier this summer. He credited the WPL as one of the defining platforms behind the success, “WPL has been an integral part of the progress of the players. There’s no doubt about it.”
At the same time, he highlighted that WPL complements, rather than replaces, India’s robust domestic system, “But there are other tournaments as well in India which we really have a good look at. There are so many domestic players playing. WPL is just a part of the initiative of the BCCI.”
And summing up, Muzumdar described the WPL’s impact as both positive and necessary, “So, I think it’s been a happy hunting ground for us, the WPL. But at the same time, there are other tournaments which also take the importance.”
The WPL’s role in reshaping women’s cricket goes beyond India. From packed stadiums at the 2020 T20 World Cup final in Australia to the sell-out crowds in Indian venues, women’s cricket has stepped firmly out of men’s cricket’s shadow.
The commercial numbers reflect that growth. The opening match of WPL 2025 drew over 3 crore TV viewers, and the league’s media rights deal worth Rs 951 crore ($116 million) cemented it as the second-most expensive women’s sports league in the world, after the WNBA.
By shifting the WPL 2026 window to January, the BCCI ensures a clear run for both the women’s and men’s showpiece tournaments in what promises to be a landmark year for cricket. With Mumbai Indians chasing a third title, Delhi Capitals eager to break their final hoodoo, and the likes of RCB, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz sharpening their squads, the early start may just add a fresh layer of intrigue to an already thriving league.
(Quotes sourced from the Times of India)
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