Two-time and reigning Women’s Premier League champions Mumbai India take on 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opener in Navi Mumbai on Friday.
MI, led by India’s T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, won the inaugural WPL title in 2023 and reclaimed the crown last season after Smriti Mandhana guided RCB to the championship in 2024. Both Harmanpreet and Smriti come into the season on the back of a triumphant Women’s ODI World Cup campaign for India. Harmanpreet was the skipper while Smriti was the team’s top run-scorer in the tournament.
“With Nadine de Klerk and Richa Ghosh in the middle order, RCB now has two powerful finishers in their squad. This presence of both of them will create fear in the minds of other teams’ bowlers. Both players give the belief that they can come and win a match even in difficult situations. Opposition bowlers will have a tough time bowling against this batting pair of Richa and de Klerk,” said former India player Saba Karim.
“Radha Yadav is in good form in T20s. RCB wants to back her. There were rumors they tried to get her in a trade before the auction, which they couldn’t, but they ended up securing her services in the mega auction. She is an excellent fielder, one of the best. Her batting has also improved a lot. If she can get her bowling right and gain confidence with Smriti Mandhana as captain, that is something she would want more than anything,” said former India player Veda Krishnamurthy.
The 2026 edition follows a mega auction held in New Delhi, which saw all five franchises revamp their squads ahead of the new season. MI, RCB and GG have retained their WPL captains from last year.
Three-time runners-up DC and UPW, meanwhile, have opted for a fresh leadership approach, appointing Jemimah Rodrigues and Meg Lanning as captains, respectively. Rodrigues will don the captain’s role for the first time in the WPL. Lanning, a multiple-time World Cup winning-captain with Australia, led DC to three straight finals and will replace Deepti Sharma as GG’s skipper this season.
“It would be very interesting to see Jemimah Rodrigues as captain for Delhi Capitals. She has led Mumbai in the domestic circuit, but leading a franchise and having overseas players under you is a little different. That said, with all the experience she has gained playing for India over the years, it should come naturally to her,” said former India captain and batting legend Mithali Raj.
Mithali said it would also be interesting to see how Laura Wolvaardt with her leadership qualities and outstanding form in international cricket fits into Delhi Capitals. “Laura Wolvaardt has been in great form in the ODI format. As a batter for the Gujarat Giants over the last couple of seasons, she has been very good and has contributed immensely. She brings a lot of value to her team. In terms of her leadership qualities and the batter that she is, they would definitely love to have her in the playing XI.”
Women’s Premier League is maturing, says Saba Karim
“These are exciting times ahead for Delhi Capitals with Jemimah being named captain. I think the WPL is maturing, and the time is ripe to start making Indian players captains. Jemi has shown great skills as a captain and leader and has performed well at the state level. I hope the captaincy is fruitful for her and that her game gets even better. She brings a youthful energy to any team she plays for, and I think she is a great choice as captain of Delhi Capitals,” said Saba Karim.
“Chinelle Henry is a star performer in both departments as a batter and as a bowler. Looking at the team composition and how Delhi wanted to shape their line-up, I’m not surprised that a fast bowler of Chinelle Henry’s ability fetched that kind of price. We’ve seen spinners get good prices, but the tournament is incomplete if your fast bowler isn’t performing well. I was very impressed with how she performed last season and how she has performed for the West Indies team,” said former India captain Anju Chopra about Chinelle Henry.
The tournament will feature five teams, Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Giants (GG) and UP Warriorz (UPW), playing 22 matches across two venues.
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will host the first 11 matches of the season from January 9 to 17 before the action moves to the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Vadodara for the remaining 11 games, including the final.
Unchanged from the last three seasons, the format of the Women’s Premier League will see all teams play each other twice during the league stage, which concludes on February 1.
The team finishing on top of the points table will qualify directly for the final scheduled on February 5, while the second and third-placed sides will meet in the Eliminator on February 3 for a place in the summit clash.
Most matches in WPL 2026 will be played in the evening. The only two afternoon fixtures of the season are UPW vs GG on January 10 and UPW vs MI on January 17. Both dates will also feature double-headers in Navi Mumbai.
Similar to the Indian Premier League, the leading run-scorer at the end of the WPL season will receive the Orange Cap, while the top wicket-taker will be awarded the Purple Cap.
