Bollywood star Varun Dhawan, the 38-year-old action hero gearing up for his intense role as Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya in the upcoming war epic Border 2 (releasing January 23, 2026), made his appearance at the January 11, 2026, Women’s Premier League (WPL) game.
Chatting with the WPL broadcasting team at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Dhawan shared his thrill at witnessing the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) live. He praised India’s pivotal role in elevating women’s cricket worldwide, urging fans to tune in: “Support WPL, watch, if you’re a cricket fan, forget men’s, women’s, as just a cricket fan, watch WPL. Trust me, if you’re a cricket fan, watch these girls play, you’ll have new favourites.”
Dhawan, a self-proclaimed Mumbai boy, couldn’t hide his bias. “See, I’m a Mumbai boy, so I’m rooting for the Mumbai Indians, but I like RCB as well, because I’m a fan of Smriti Mandhana as well.” His excitement stemmed from the live action’s edge-of-your-seat drama. “Amazing, I think just seeing it in such close quarters, seeing a close game, seeing people pick up wickets at the key moments.
You know when you see it on TV, you say, ‘abhi match palta, abhi match palta.'” The quality, he noted, is unmatched: “Quality of cricket is at an all-time high, and it’s great to see that our country, India, is leading the charge. The kind of direction the BCCI is giving, we’ve uplifted Women’s Cricket for the World.”
The WPL 2026, running from January 9 to February 5, mirrors this surge. The first phase unfolds at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, and the 2nd phase, including the knockouts and the final shifting to Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. High-scoring thrillers dominate early: 200-run innings breached three times in five games, 400-run aggregates twice in four days. Dhawan’s visit coincided with game four on January 11, Gujarat Giants versus Delhi Capitals.
That clash delivered fireworks. Delhi’s 24-year-old Chandigarh pacer Nandni Sharma grabbed the first hat-trick of the season, her maiden five-wicket haul (5/33 off 4 overs). Four wickets, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Renuka Singh Thakur, fell in the final over, marking the dream hat-trick. She also dismissed Sophie Devine early (in the 11th over). The second Indian after Deepti Sharma to claim a WPL hat-trick, Nandni joined Issy Wong, Grace Harris, and Deepti in the elite club.
Despite her heroics, Delhi fell short by 4 runs. Devine, defending 7 in the last over (conceding 2, taking 2 wickets), earned Player of the Match for her explosive 95 off 42 (7 fours, 8 sixes). In Gujarat’s first innings, she hammered Sneh Rana for a WPL-record 32 runs in the powerplay’s final over, two boundaries and four maximums, eventually equaling her own 8-sixes mark by the end of her innings.
The carnage continued in game five (January 12, DY Patil): RCB chased UP Warriorz’s 144 with ease. Grace Harris smashed a 21-ball fifty, the season’s fastest, and equalled the 32-run over record off Deandra Dottin (two boundaries, three sixes) in the powerplay. Her 85 off 40 (10 fours, 5 sixes) anchored a 137-run opening stand with Mandhana. Richa Ghosh finished the 9-wicket win with 47 balls spare, propelling RCB atop the table with 4 points from 2 games.
This WPL buzz builds on India’s stellar 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side clinched the maiden senior ICC title, the 13th Women’s ODI World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka. They thrashed South Africa by 52 runs in the DY Patil final, with Kaur becoming the first Indian captain to lift an ICC ODI World Cup. Smriti Mandhana starred with 434 runs (strike rate 99.08, average 54.25) in 9 innings, including a century and two fifties, capping her ODI breakout year (1,362 runs at 109.92 strike rate, average 61.90).
T20Is shone too: India whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 (December 21-30, 2025), their first home 5-match clean sweep. Mandhana hit 120 runs (strike rate 133.33, average 30) with a fifty, crossing 4,000 T20I runs (second after Suzie Bates) and 10,000 international runs (fastest to do so and 2nd Indian after Mithali Raj). Her 2025 T20I haul: 341 runs (strike rate 135.85, average 37.88) in 9 innings.
Franchise legacies add spice. Mumbai Indians (led by Harmanpreet Kaur) won the 2023 and 2025 titles; RCB (led by Smriti Mandhana) triumphed in 2024, ending a 17-year drought for the franchise. Delhi Capitals (led by ex-skipper Meg Lanning) finished runners-up thrice.
Varun Dhawan soaked it all in: “It’s been incredible just being here, meeting the coaching staff and just talking cricket and just seeing this crowd is so unbelievable, seeing the growth.” Post-WPL, India tours Australia (February 15-March 6, 2026) for T20Is, ODIs, and a Test, farewelling Alyssa Healy. Then, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup looms in England/Wales (June 12-July 5, 2026). Dhawan’s call resonates: India’s BCCI-led push is scripting women’s cricket’s global ascent.
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