WPL 2026 starts from today, MI and RCB will face each other in the first match

Women’s Premier League 2026 is starting from today i.e. 9th January. The first match of the season will be played between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The first phase of the tournament will be played in Navi Mumbai from January 9 to 17, while the second phase will be played in Vadodara from January 19 to February 5. A total of 20 matches will be played in the league stage, followed by the eliminator on 3 February and the final on 5 February.

There will be special attention on the performance of the batsmen this season. Nate Sheaver Brunt has been the highest run scorer in overall statistics. He has strengthened his team by scoring runs continuously. Whereas Shefali Verma is best known for hitting maximum sixes and fast strike rate. Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning and Harmanpreet Kaur are also among those batsmen who can change the course of any match.

Keep an eye on Mumbai Indians team

The Mumbai Indians team looks balanced this season too. The team includes experienced all-rounders like Hayley Mathews, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr and Nate Sheaver Brunt. Shabnim Ismail and Saika Ishaq will be expected to play an important role in bowling. The responsibility of wicketkeeping will be with G Kamalini and Rahila Firdos. The figures so far clearly show the dominance of MI bowlers in taking wickets.

RCB’s potential strength

Royal Challengers Bangalore also has many big names in its team. Smriti Mandhana will take over the captaincy of the team and a good start will be expected from her. Grace Harris, Georgia Woll and Richa Ghosh can play important roles in batting. In the all-round department, Pooja Vastrakar and Nadine de Klerk provide balance to the team, while the responsibility in bowling will be on Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Arundhati Reddy. After the recent ODI World Cup win of the Indian women’s team, the excitement about this season has increased further and the spectators are expecting to see tough competition in every match.