New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS): The 2026 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be held from January 9 to February 5, with Navi Mumbai and Vadodara chosen as the host venues. The tournament will begin at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, while the final will take place at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
WPL Committee Chairman Jayesh George announced the dates and venues ahead of the league’s first-ever mega auction in New Delhi on Thursday. IANS understands that the committee met at the auction venue earlier in the day to finalise the schedule details, with the full fixtures list expected to be released shortly.
The WPL final has been positioned just two days before the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup starts in India and Sri Lanka. The decision to stage the second half of the tournament in Vadodara is also linked to the Kotambi Stadium hosting the men’s ODI series opener between India and New Zealand on January 11.
Vadodara, which was among the four host cities for the 2025 WPL, will now stage the entire second leg of the competition along with the knockout matches, including the title clash. The 2026 season also marks the WPL’s return after India’s triumphant Women’s ODI World Cup campaign on November 2, 2025.
The immediate focus for all five franchises — two-time champions Mumbai Indians, 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants — is to assemble title-worthy squads at the ongoing mega auction.
Among those present at the auction are India’s ODI World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur, seated at the MI table with Jhulan Goswami, new coach Lisa Keightley and team owners. Delhi Capitals are represented by head coach Jonathan Batty and director of cricket Sourav Ganguly.
UP Warriorz have new head coach Abhishek Nayar and mentor Lisa Sthalekar in attendance, while Gujarat Giants are represented by Pravin Tambe and Michael Klinger. RCB’s table includes newly appointed assistant coach Anya Shrubsole alongside head coach Malolan Rangarajan.
