The Women’s Premier League is the richest women’s franchise cricket league in the world. Run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and branded TATA WPL, it packs five city franchises, an auction system borrowed from the men’s IPL, and the biggest paychecks women’s cricket has ever seen into a five-week T20 festival every year. Since its first season in March 2023, the league has reshaped the economics of the women’s game — and given India a domestic stage to match Australia’s WBBL.
What Is the Women’s Premier League?
The Women’s Premier League is India’s professional women’s Twenty20 franchise league. The BCCI announced it in October 2022 as the successor to the Women’s T20 Challenge, and the first season ran from 4 to 26 March 2023, with all 22 matches played in Mumbai across Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium.
Five franchises were sold for a combined Rs 4,669.99 crore — a figure BCCI secretary Jay Shah noted broke the records of the men’s IPL team auction in 2008. Viacom18 then paid INR 951 crore for five years of TV and digital rights (2023–2027), working out to INR 7.09 crore per match. Those numbers made the WPL the most valuable women’s cricket property on the planet before a single ball was bowled.
WPL Teams: The Five Franchises
The league’s five teams represent major Indian cities:
- Mumbai Indians (Mumbai) — captained by Harmanpreet Kaur; champions in 2023 and 2025
- Delhi Capitals (New Delhi) — reached all four finals so far, but never won the title
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Bengaluru) — champions in 2024 and 2026
- UP Warriorz (Lucknow) — yet to reach a final
- Gujarat Giants (Ahmedabad) — yet to reach a final
Each squad holds up to 18 players with a maximum of six overseas cricketers. The inaugural auction in February 2023 set the tone: Smriti Mandhana became the most expensive buy in women’s franchise history at INR 3.4 crore (RCB), with Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI, 3.2 crore) and Ashleigh Gardner (GG, 3.2 crore) close behind. A mega auction ahead of the 2026 season was held on 27 November 2025 in New Delhi with 277 players in the pool.
WPL Format: How the Season Works
The WPL follows a double round-robin: each team plays the other four twice, producing 20 league matches. The top three qualify for the playoffs — first place goes directly to the final, while second and third contest an Eliminator for the other final spot.
The 2026 season, for example, comprised 22 matches (20 league + Eliminator + Final) played across 28 days. The compact structure keeps every match meaningful: with only five teams, a two-match losing streak can end a campaign, which is why the league stage routinely goes down to the final weekend.
WPL Seasons So Far: Champions and Storylines
2023 belonged to Mumbai Indians, who beat Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets in the final at Brabourne Stadium. Meg Lanning (345 runs) took the Orange Cap and Hayley Matthews (16 wickets) the Purple Cap.
2024 was Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s breakthrough: they bowled Delhi out for 113 in the final in New Delhi and chased it down with 8 wickets to spare. Ellyse Perry (347 runs) and Shreyanka Patil (13 wickets) led the individual charts, while Sophie Molineux’s 3/20 won the final’s Player of the Match award.
2025 saw Mumbai reclaim the crown, defending 149/7 against Delhi by 8 runs at Brabourne. Nat Sciver-Brunt produced the greatest individual season in league history — 523 runs (the first 500-run WPL season) plus 12 wickets — while Amelia Kerr’s 18 wickets took the Purple Cap.
2026 was moved to January–February to avoid clashing with the men’s T20 World Cup, and it delivered the best final yet. Delhi posted 203/4 in Vadodara — then watched RCB chase 204/4 with two balls to spare, the highest successful chase in WPL history. Smriti Mandhana’s 87 earned Player of the Match; her 377 runs also won the Orange Cap, while Sophie Devine’s 17 wickets took the Purple Cap.
The running storyline is Delhi Capitals: four finals, four defeats — to MI in 2023 and 2025, to RCB in 2024 and 2026.
Why the WPL Matters for Women’s Cricket
Three verified numbers explain the league’s impact. First, the Rs 4,669.99 crore franchise sale. Second, the INR 951 crore media-rights deal. Third, the salaries: domestic Indian players earned more in one WPL month than in several seasons of state cricket, and Mandhana’s 3.4-crore deal reset what a woman cricketer could earn.
The on-field effect is visible in India’s national side. Young Indian players now arrive in international cricket hardened by high-pressure games against the world’s best — the same pipeline effect Australia’s WBBL created a decade earlier. Uncapped players sharing dressing rooms with Perry, Sciver-Brunt and Mandhana has compressed development timelines across the Indian system. It is no coincidence that search interest in the Women’s Premier League now spikes higher every season — the league has become a genuine sporting property, not just a tournament.
WPL vs WBBL: How They Compare
The natural comparison is with Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League, the previous benchmark for women’s franchise cricket. The WBBL is older (since 2015–16), bigger (eight teams, longer season) and historically deeper. The WPL is shorter, richer per match, and more top-heavy: five teams means a higher concentration of stars per XI.
Rather than rivals, the leagues function as complementary pillars of the women’s calendar — the WBBL runs through the Australian summer (October–December), the WPL through the Indian winter (January–March). The best players in the world now play both, and the combined calendar is a major reason women’s cricket has professionalised so fast. New to the league? Catch up with WPL final highlights to see what the fuss is about.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Women’s Premier League?
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is India’s professional women’s T20 franchise cricket league, run by the BCCI since 2023. Five city-based teams compete in a double round-robin followed by playoffs, with the final deciding the champion each season.
How many teams are in the WPL?
Five: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants. Each squad can include up to 18 players with a maximum of six overseas cricketers.
Who has won the most WPL titles?
Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru share the record with two titles each — MI in 2023 and 2025, RCB in 2024 and 2026. Delhi Capitals have reached all four finals but never won.
When is the WPL played?
The WPL is typically played in February–March, though the 2026 season was moved to 9 January–5 February 2026 to avoid clashing with the men’s T20 World Cup. The next edition is expected in early 2027.
Who was the most expensive player in WPL history?
Smriti Mandhana, bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for INR 3.4 crore at the inaugural 2023 auction — the highest price ever paid for a woman cricketer in a franchise auction.
Where can I follow WPL scores and news?
Ball-by-ball coverage appears on major sports broadcasters and the league’s official channels. For women’s cricket coverage in one place — including WPL context alongside international cricket — our latest news section tracks the biggest stories.
Final Thoughts
The Women’s Premier League has done in four seasons what took other leagues a decade: made women’s franchise cricket appointment viewing and genuinely life-changing for its players. With two titles each for Mumbai and Bengaluru, Delhi’s ongoing final heartbreak, and a new generation of Indian stars arriving every year, the league’s storylines are only getting richer. The 2027 season can’t come soon enough.