WPL 2026 kicks off Jan 9 – Mumbai Indians clash with RCB in the opener, final to be played here

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the exciting schedule for the fourth season of the Women's Premier League (WPL). The WPL 2026 kicks off on January 9th, and the tournament will begin with a blockbuster match. In the season opener, defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face two-time winners Mumbai Indians. This match will be a special one for cricket fans, as the league's two strongest teams will face each other on the very first day.

This time the tournament will be held in two different cities. The BCCI has divided it into two phases. Navi Mumbai will host the first phase, where the first 11 matches of the season will be played at the DY Patil Stadium from January 9 to 17. After this, the tournament will move to Gujarat, where the remaining matches will be held in Vadodara. The Vadodara leg will begin with a match between the home team Gujarat Giants and RCB.

The league stage matches will run until February 1st. The schedule has also been tailored to accommodate spectators, with only two double-headers (two matches in one day) scheduled during the season. These matches will be played on January 10th and 17th, and interestingly, the UP Warriors will be in action in the afternoon matches on both days.

According to the tournament format, the team that tops the points table will advance directly to the final. The second- and third-placed teams will play in an eliminator on February 3rd. The winner of this eliminator will face the table topper in the final on February 5th in Vadodara, where the WPL 2026 champion will be determined.

Full schedule of WPL 2026

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

January 30: Gujarat Giants vs. Mumbai Indians

February 1: Delhi Capitals vs. UP Warriors

February 3: Eliminator

February 5: Final