Two new captains, doubleheaders, 22 matches at two venues:WPL 2026 all you need to know, meet all five teams and records that could be broken

The WPL (Women’s Premier League) is back with its fourth edition, starting on 9 January. Fans will get to witness some exciting and intense cricket matches as five teams- Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants- fight it out for the trophy. On 27 November, the WPL had a mega auction, and this time, some popular faces like Meg Lanning, Laura Wolvaardt, Sophie Devine and Harleen Deol will play for new teams. Mumbai Indians are the defending champions in WPL 2026, having beaten Delhi Capitals to claim their second title. Here’s all you need to know about the WPL 2026 Which teams have won the WPL so far? There have been three editions of the WPL so far. The Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team in WPL history, winning two out of the three editions (2023, 2025). RCB won the WPL in 2024. Delhi Capitals have made it to the finals in all three seasons but have failed to win the title even once. This time, they will look to go all the way. WPL 2026 schedule As mentioned before, the WPL 2026 tournament starts on 9 January. The tournament will be played across two cities- Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The tournament will not be played in home and away format like the IPL because of the other venues being locked by the BCCI for the T20 World Cup and the Ranji Trophy. Furthermore, WPL matches will take place in the January-February window going forward. There will be a total of 22 matches in WPL 2026, including the final, which is on 5 February in Vadodara. For the first time since the inaugural edition, there will be doubleheader matches in the WPL, following in the footsteps of IPL. A total of two double-header days are scheduled, both in Navi Mumbai. Meet the WPL 2026 squads- Before the season got underway, RCB were dealt a massive blow as Ellyse Perry pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. The WPL 2024 winners roped in Sayali Satghare as a replacement, while Annabel Sutherland also pulled out, leaving Delhi Capitals to land Alana King. UP Warriorz roped in Charli Knott to replace Tara Norris, who will be unavailable due to national duty. Also read: Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepika TC honoured at Reliance event: Jasprit Bumrah, Sachin Tendulkar to Shah Rukh Khan attended glitzy ceremony 2 new captains at the helm Harmanpreet continues to lead MI, while Smriti will be captaining RCB once again. Delhi have handed over the captaincy duties to young Jemimah Rodrigues, whereas Meg Lanning will be seen leading the UP Warriorz. Gujarat Giants have shown faith once again in Ashleigh Gardner after she led the team to the playoffs last year. Mumbai Indians- Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Hayley Mathews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajeevan Sajana, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth Royal Challengers Bengaluru- Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Sayali Satghare, Prema Rawat, Arundathi Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D Hemalatha Delhi Capitals- Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Shafali Verma, Alana King, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Deeya Yadav, Taniyaa Bhatia, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandani Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani UP Warriorz- Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Charli Knott, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, G Trisha, Pratika Rawal Gujarat Giants- Ashleigh Gardner (c), Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Bharti Fulmali, Titas Sadhu, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwar, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Shivani Singh, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ayushi Soni Players to watch out for? South Africa’s Lizelle Lee is one to keep an eye on. Delhi signed the South African opener after her excellent stint in WBBL, wherein she scored 305 runs at an average of 38.12 and a strike rate of 154.82. There’s another young gun to watch out for among the DC ranks. Deeya Yadav is being dubbed as the second coming of Shafali Verma. Mumbai Indians have pulled another rabbit out of the hat; they signed fast bowler Milly Illingworth, who is capable of clocking 120 clicks. Also read: Mustafizur Rahman unlikely to receive ₹9.2 crore salary: Bangladesh’s IPL ban not likely to dent revenues of cash-rich league – Report WPL 2026 records that can be broken The upcoming edition of the WPL can witness some records being broken. No player has ever scored a century in the WPL. Sophie Devine and Georgia Voll both scored 99 previously. Can this season be the one where history is rewritten? Only time will tell. Interestingly, there have been one hat-trick in every season of the WPL. Issy Wong, Deepti Sharma and Grace Harris are the three players to achieve the feat. Who will be the one to take a hat-trick this season? Is there ‘Impact Player’ rule in WPL 2026? No, the ‘Impact Player’ rule will not be seen in WPL 2026 as it is in the IPL. Hence, the teams will not be able to swap any player from their playing XI during a particular match. Where to watch WPL 2026? Star Sports will be broadcasting the WPL 2026 season, while JioHotstar hold the streaming rights for the tournament. You can stay tuned to the Bhaskar English app for latest updates around the WPL.