WPL to move to January-February from 2026, reveals CA instead of BCCI

Cricket Australia (CA) has announced that the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Women's Premier League (WPL) will kick off in January 2026. According to Cricket Australia's press release, the Women's Premier League will be played in January 2026, unlike the regular February-March window.

Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and UP Warriorz are currently part of the Women's Premier League. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Smriti Mandhana, are the reigning champions, while the Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the first season.

The BCCI has not yet revealed the dates and venues for the upcoming third season of the Women's Premier League. The T20 tournament took place in the February-March window like the first two seasons. However, the board wants to shift the marquee tournament window to January-February from 2026.

Will Continue To Have The World's Best Local And International Players - Peter Roach

The BCCI's decision to change its women's competition window has forced Australia to adjust the schedule for its home summer. Cricket Australia made this adjustment to avoid a conflict with the Women's Premier League.

"It was important for all members to block out windows for their players to participate in the WBBL, WPL, and The Hundred," said CA's head of operations and scheduling Peter Roach.

First Women's FTP With The WPL In Place From The Start - Peter Roach

"This is the first women's FTP with the WPL in place from the start. The BCCI's decision for the WPL to move earlier in the calendar year allowed us to look at our preferred times to play international cricket across the period," Roach said.

"We have for some years now sought free space for our magnificent women's team and players to shine, and also for the team to have a consistent presence at a certain time of the season."

"The window of immediately following WPL in February-March was identified ... this also allows us to extend the international cricket season which we see as an advantage – cricket around the country generally runs from the start of October to the end of March and having our biggest international matches spread over that period makes sense."

Australia All-rounder Ellyse Perry Leading Run Scorer Of WPL

Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry is the leading run-scorer of the WPL, with 347 runs in 9 matches at an average of 69.40 and a strike rate of 125.72, including two fifties. Shafali Verma is the top run scorer among Indians, with 309 runs in 9 games at an average of 38.62 and an impressive strike rate of 156.85.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) spinner Shreyanka Patil is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Shreyanka has taken 13 wickets at an average of 12.07 and an economy rate of 7.30, with best bowling figures of 4/12.

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