Women's Premier League

The fourth edition of the Women's Premier League commenced on January 9, 2026, with defending champions Mumbai Indians facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The tournament runs through February 5, 2026, featuring 22 league matches followed by an Eliminator and Final.

Tournament Details:

• Dates: January 9 - February 5, 2026
• Venues: DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai) and Baroda Cricket Association Stadium (Baroda)
• Teams: 5 franchises
• Format: Double round-robin league stage with top-3 playoffs
• Title Sponsor: Tata Group

The tournament structure ensures all teams play each other twice during the league stage, with the top three advancing to playoffs. The first-placed team qualifies directly for the final, while second and third-placed teams compete in an Eliminator for the remaining finals spot.

Origins

In February 2022, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announced plans to establish a women's version of the Indian Premier League, replacing the Women's T20 Challenge that had run from 2018 to 2022. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah clarified the official name as the Women's Premier League.

By October 2022, the BCCI confirmed a five-team tournament for March 2023. On January 28, 2023, the BCCI invited bids for title sponsorship rights through 2027, with Tata Group winning for an undisclosed amount.

Franchise Auction

The franchise auction in January 2023 generated a record ₹4,669.99 crore ($572 million), exceeding the first IPL franchise auction value when adjusted for inflation. This demonstrated unprecedented confidence in women's cricket's commercial potential.

Franchise Acquisition Prices:

• Gujarat Giants: ₹1,289 crore (Adani Group)
• Mumbai Indians: ₹912.99 crore (Reliance Industries)
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru: ₹901 crore (United Spirits)
• Delhi Capitals: ₹810 crore (JSW-GMR Group)
• UP Warriorz: ₹757 crore (Capri Global)

Media Rights

In January 2023, Viacom18 acquired global media rights for ₹951 crore covering five years (2023-2027). The deal included television and digital streaming rights, with broadcasts on Sports18 TV channel and JioCinema app (now JioHotstar following the 2025 merger).

League Stage

The WPL features a double round-robin format where each of the five teams plays every other team twice—once home and once away—totaling 20 league matches. Teams earn:

• 2 points for a win
• 1 point for a no-result
• 0 points for a loss

Net Run Rate (NRR) serves as the primary tiebreaker when teams finish with equal points.

Playoffs Structure

The top three teams qualify for playoffs:

Direct Final Qualification: Team finishing first advances directly to the Final

Eliminator: Teams finishing second and third compete, with the winner advancing to the Final

Final: First-placed team vs Eliminator winner for the championship

This format rewards consistent league-stage performance while maintaining knockout excitement.

Squad Rules

• Maximum squad size: 18 players
• Minimum squad size: 15 players
• Maximum overseas players: 6 per squad
• Maximum overseas players in playing XI: 5
• Auction purse (2026): ₹15 crore per team

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Owner: Reliance Industries (Mukesh Ambani)
Acquisition Price: ₹912.99 crore
Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur
Home Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Titles: 2 (2023, 2025)

MI has established itself as the WPL's most successful franchise, winning two championships in three seasons under the leadership of Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Owner: United Spirits Limited (Diageo Group)
Acquisition Price: ₹901 crore
Captain: Smriti Mandhana
Home Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Titles: 1 (2024)

RCB broke through in their second season, claiming their maiden WPL title with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Owner: JSW-GMR Group
Acquisition Price: ₹810 crore
Captain: Meg Lanning (2023-2025), new captain TBA for 2026
Home Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Titles: 0

DC holds the unique distinction of reaching all three WPL finals but falling short each time—twice to Mumbai Indians (2023, 2025) and once to RCB (2024).

Gujarat Giants (GG)

Owner: Adani Group (Gautam Adani)
Acquisition Price: ₹1,289 crore (highest)
Captain: Beth Mooney
Home Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Titles: 0

Despite paying the highest acquisition price, Gujarat Giants are still searching for their first WPL title.

UP Warriorz (UPW)

Owner: Capri Global Holdings
Acquisition Price: ₹757 crore
Captain: Alyssa Healy
Home Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Titles: 0

UP Warriorz entered the league as the most affordable franchise but have built competitive squads through strategic auctions.

The WPL 2026 mega auction took place on November 27, 2025, in New Delhi, marking the first mega auction in WPL history. Teams could retain up to five players before the auction, with the Right-to-Match (RTM) card introduced for the first time.

Auction Highlights

Most Expensive Players:

• Deepti Sharma: ₹3.20 crore (UP Warriorz) - Most expensive overall
• Amelia Kerr: ₹3.00 crore (Mumbai Indians) - Most expensive overseas player
• Shikha Pandey: ₹2.40 crore (UP Warriorz)
• Meg Lanning: ₹1.90 crore (UP Warriorz)

Retention Values: Teams that retained all five players had ₹5.75 crore remaining for auction purchases, while those retaining fewer players had larger purses.

Notable Retentions:

• Smriti Mandhana: ₹3.50 crore (RCB) - Highest retention
• Nat Sciver-Brunt: ₹3.50 crore (MI)
• Ashleigh Gardner: ₹3.50 crore (GG)

Squad Building Strategy

The auction saw 67 players sold from a pool of 277 registered cricketers. Teams balanced international star power with emerging Indian talent, focusing on all-rounders and death-over specialists.

WPL 2023 (Inaugural Season)

Dates: March 4-26, 2023
Venues: Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium, DY Patil Stadium)
Champion: Mumbai Indians
Runner-up: Delhi Capitals
Final Margin: 7 wickets

Mumbai Indians chased down Delhi Capitals' 131 with seven wickets remaining, with Nat Sciver-Brunt's unbeaten 60 off 55 balls earning her Player of the Match honors. Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the inaugural trophy.

Key Stats:

• Orange Cap: Meg Lanning (DC) - 345 runs
• Purple Cap: Hayley Matthews (MI) - 16 wickets
• Player of Tournament: Hayley Matthews

WPL 2024

Dates: February 23 - March 17, 2024
Venues: Bengaluru and Delhi
Champion: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Runner-up: Delhi Capitals
Final Margin: 8 wickets

RCB dominated the final, restricting Delhi Capitals to 113 before cruising to victory with 115/2 in 19.3 overs. Sophie Molineux's match-turning 3/20 dismantled DC's innings after they raced to 64/0.

Key Stats:

• Orange Cap: Ellyse Perry (RCB) - 347 runs
• Purple Cap: Shreyanka Patil (RCB) - 13 wickets
• Player of Tournament: Deepti Sharma (UPW)

WPL 2025

Dates: February 14 - March 15, 2025
Venues: Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mumbai, Vadodara
Champion: Mumbai Indians
Runner-up: Delhi Capitals
Final Margin: 8 runs

Mumbai Indians successfully defended 149/7, with Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 66 off 44 balls proving decisive. Delhi Capitals fell short at 141/9 despite contributions from Marizanne Kapp (40) and Jemimah Rodrigues (30).

Key Stats:

• Orange Cap: Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI) - 523 runs (WPL record)
• Purple Cap: Sophie Devine (GG) - 11 wickets
• Player of Tournament: TBA

The Orange Cap recognizes the tournament's leading run-scorer, with the player wearing it during fielding whenever they hold the distinction.

WPL 2023

Winner: Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals)
Runs: 345 in 9 matches
Average: 43.12
Strike Rate: 130.68

The Australian legend and DC captain topped the scoring charts in the inaugural season, showcasing consistency and class throughout the tournament.

WPL 2024

Winner: Ellyse Perry (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Runs: 347 in 9 matches
Average: 69.40
Strike Rate: 120.76

Perry narrowly surpassed Lanning's 2023 tally to claim the Orange Cap while leading RCB to their maiden title. Her average of 69.40 reflected remarkable consistency.

WPL 2025

Winner: Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians)
Runs: 523 in 10 matches
Average: 58.11
Strike Rate: 145.82

The English all-rounder set a new WPL record for most runs in a single season, demolishing the previous mark by 176 runs. Her performances anchored Mumbai's title defense.

Orange Cap Records

Highest Score in WPL: Harmanpreet Kaur - 95* (48 balls) vs Gujarat Giants, 2024
Most Sixes in a Season: Shafali Verma - 20 sixes (2024)
Most Fifties: Nat Sciver-Brunt - 5 fifties (2025)

The Purple Cap honors the tournament's leading wicket-taker, worn during fielding by whoever currently leads the wicket charts.

WPL 2023

Winner: Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians)
Wickets: 16 in 9 matches
Economy: 6.72
Average: 15.31

The West Indian all-rounder's wicket-taking prowess complemented her batting contributions, earning her both Purple Cap and Player of Tournament honors.

WPL 2024

Winner: Shreyanka Patil (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Wickets: 13 in 9 matches
Economy: 7.32
Average: 19.38

The young Indian off-spinner claimed crucial wickets throughout the tournament, including a match-winning performance in the final that sealed RCB's championship.

WPL 2025

Winner: Sophie Devine (Gujarat Giants)
Wickets: 11 wickets
Economy: TBA
Average: 16.09

The New Zealand all-rounder's bowling excellence provided Gujarat Giants with a potent weapon, though the team fell short of playoff qualification.

Purple Cap Records

Best Bowling Figures: Multiple bowlers have claimed 4-wicket hauls, with Shreyanka Patil's 4/12 in the 2024 final standing out as one of the most impactful performances.

India - Television

Star Sports Network: Comprehensive coverage across multiple channels

• Star Sports 1 (English commentary)
• Star Sports 1 HD (English commentary)
• Star Sports 1 Hindi (Hindi commentary)
• Regional language channels in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada

India - Digital Streaming

JioHotstar: The unified platform (merger of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema completed February 2025) provides:

• Free streaming for all WPL matches
• Multi-language commentary options
• Interactive features and real-time statistics
• Mobile, tablet, and smart TV compatibility

International Broadcasting

United Kingdom: Sky Sports Cricket
United States: Willow TV
Australia: Fox Sports
Middle East: OSN Sports
Other Markets: Various regional broadcasters maintain partnerships

The BCCI's ₹951 crore media rights deal with Viacom18 (now JioStar) runs through 2027, ensuring comprehensive global coverage that has helped grow women's cricket's international audience.