The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction date is very near, and before the mega auction, the potential dates and venues for the fourth edition of the WPL have been revealed. 

WPL 2026: Potential Dates and Cities

According to the latest Cricbuzz report, WPL 2026 is likely to be played between January and February. The tournament is likely to be played from January 7 to February 3, 2026. Mumbai and Baroda are likely to host the entire WPL 2026.

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WPL 2026: Potential Venues

DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where the India Women's cricket team lifted the historic ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 title on November 2, is likely to host the first leg of the WPL 2026. The second leg is likely to begin on January 16, which Kotambi Stadium in Baroda is likely to host. WPL 2026 second leg means the playoffs, including the Final, as Baroda is likely to host both the Eliminator and Final.

The Cricbuzz report also claimed that the BCCI is yet to formally inform the franchise owners about the WPL 2026 venues; however, the talk is going on informally. While New Delhi will host the WPL 2026 auction on November 27, the BCCI can officially inform about the venues for the upcoming edition of the WPL.

WPL 2026: Mumbai Indians are defending champions

Mumbai Indians will participate in the WPL 2026 as the defending champions, who won their second WPL title in the last edition (2025) after their trophy success in the inaugural edition in 2023. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the WPL 2024, while Delhi Capitals finished as the runners-up in all the first three editions of the WPL. 

The latest Cricbuzz report has revealed two key reasons for organising the WPL 2026 earlier than the usual February-March window. While the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is likely to run from the first week of February to early March 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, the January window is better to organise the WPL 2025. Also, the January window doesn't clash with any other women's cricket league and the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP).