The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to maintain the momentum created by India's victory in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup. On November 6, the Women's Premier League (WPL) franchises announced their list of retained players with the auction expected to be held on November 27.
As per latest reports, WPL 2026 could be held in early part of January, making it the earliest window for the tournament till date. In mid-December, India are slated to host Bangladesh for a limited-overs tour comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is. The details of this tour are yet to be finalised.
After the Bangladesh series, India will then tour Australia for an all-format tour slated to kick-off in mid-February. Therefore, BCCI has no option but to conduct the WPL in January with the start date expected to be around January 7 or 8. With a less number of matches to contend with, the WPL season could be completed in January itself or perhaps within the first week of February.
The venue details for the fourth season of the Women's Premier League are yet to be locked in. There are talks of the tournament being held across the major cities of all participating franchises but that discussion is still at a nascent stage. Following India's historic ODI World Cup victory last week, it would be an icing on the cake to have a widely conducted WPL.
