WPL 2027 Season Guide: Dates, Format, Teams and What to Watch Guide

The fifth edition runs from 14 January to 7 February 2027. That gives the league a little over three weeks for the league stage, the Eliminator and the final. Teams play in quick succession, squad depth matters, and a short run of form can decide who reaches the knockouts. For fans, the auction in October is the true starting gun, and the cricket follows in January.

The season takes shape at the WPL 2027 auction on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at the Grand Hyatt, Kochi, from 5:30 PM IST, live on JioHotstar.

This is a mini auction, not a mega auction. Teams kept the core of their squads at the retentions in September and are topping up. There are 146 players in the pool for just 27 slots, with 20 Indian slots and 7 overseas slots to fill, so 119 players will go unsold.

The money is unevenly spread. UP Warriorz hold ₹3.75 crore of the ₹8.15 crore still available and have eight slots to fill, the most of any team. Mumbai Indians have just ₹90 lakh left and no overseas slots open. Gujarat Giants, RCB and Delhi Capitals each have a little over ₹1 crore left. Our full breakdown is in the WPL 2027 auction guide.

Squads are capped at 18 players, with a maximum of six overseas players per squad. In a playing XI, a team can field a maximum of four overseas players, with a fifth allowed if she is from an Associate nation.

Five teams play a double round robin. Each team plays every other team twice, which gives 20 league matches in total, and each team plays eight league matches.

The team that finishes top goes straight to the final. The teams in second and third play the Eliminator, and the winner takes the second place in the final. Finish fourth or fifth and the season is over. Finish first and you get a direct path to the final and extra rest. Finish second or third and you must win two knockout matches to lift the trophy.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: defending champions

RCB beat Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets in the 2026 final, chasing 204 for 4, the first chase of more than 200 runs in a WPL or IPL final, built on a 165-run partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll. RCB have two titles, in 2024 and 2026, level with Mumbai Indians, and topped the 2026 points table with 12 points from six wins. With ₹1.15 crore left and five slots to fill, including two overseas slots, their job is to add depth without breaking a winning core. Can they be the first team to defend a WPL title?

Mumbai Indians: two titles, settled core

Mumbai Indians are the other two-time champions, with titles in 2023 and 2025. They hold 12 players, including six overseas players, so they have no overseas slots left, and they have ₹90 lakh for six slots. Expect a careful auction focused on Indian depth. They finished fourth in 2026 on 6 points, so a stronger league stage is the clear target.

Delhi Capitals: can the run end in a title?

Delhi Capitals have reached all four WPL finals and lost all four, by 7 wickets in 2023, by 8 wickets in 2024, by 8 runs in 2025, and by 6 wickets in 2026 after scoring 203 for 4. No storyline in 2027 is bigger. Delhi held 13 players and have ₹1.10 crore left with five slots to fill, including one overseas slot. They do not need a rebuild. They need the consistency they show every year, and a final performance that finally matches it.

Gujarat Giants: chasing a first title

Gujarat Giants are still chasing a first title. They finished second in 2026 with 10 points, their strongest league showing so far, without turning it into a trophy. They retained 15 players, the most of any team, and have ₹1.25 crore left with three slots to fill, including one overseas slot. With Sophie Devine, the 2026 Purple Cap winner and Most Valuable Player, in the squad they held, Giants have match winners. The step they need is a knockout win.

UP Warriorz: the rebuild

UP Warriorz finished bottom in 2026 with 4 points, and their response has been the biggest reset in the league. They released nine players, the most of any team, and go into the auction with 10 players held, ₹3.75 crore to spend and eight slots to fill, including three overseas slots. That purse is 46 percent of all the money left, so UP Warriorz will shape auction day. They held a strong spine, including Deepti Sharma, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield and Sophie Ecclestone, and now have to build a full squad around it. A first title looks like a longer project, but a much better league stage is realistic if the auction goes well.

For what each side needs in detail, see our WPL 2027 team-by-team preview.

Captains as of the 2026 season were Smriti Mandhana for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Harmanpreet Kaur for Mumbai Indians, Jemimah Rodrigues for Delhi Capitals, Ashleigh Gardner for Gujarat Giants, and Meg Lanning for UP Warriorz.

Captaincy for 2027 will be confirmed by each franchise closer to the season, and this guide will be updated then. On 2026 form, it is an exceptional group. Mandhana captained RCB to the title and won the Orange Cap in the same season. Harmanpreet has led Mumbai to two titles. Lanning brings long leadership experience to a UP Warriorz side in rebuild.

By the end of auction day, all five squads will be set for January. In total, 63 players were retained, including 23 overseas players, before the trade that took Tara Norris from UP Warriorz to Mumbai Indians. The auction adds the final 27 players.

Look for balance in the finished squads. The best WPL sides so far have combined a settled top order, at least two reliable spin options, and overseas players who can change a match in one spell or one innings. Young Indian players matter too. Nandni Sharma took 17 wickets in 2026, including the first hat-trick by an uncapped player in WPL history. The team-by-team preview linked above will be updated with final squads as soon as the auction closes.

Venues for WPL 2027 have NOT been officially announced yet.

Early coverage sometimes presents likely hosts as confirmed hosts. They are not confirmed at the time of writing on 26 October 2026. This guide will be updated as soon as the BCCI confirms the venues and the match schedule. Until then, treat any venue list elsewhere with care unless it cites an official BCCI announcement.

One storyline to follow is the reported overlap between the WPL window and the U19 Women's T20 World Cup. The overlap has been reported as a scheduling clash that could affect the availability of some young players during the season.

That phrasing matters. It is a reported clash, not a confirmed withdrawal for any individual player. Availability will depend on official squad announcements from the boards involved.

The player most often linked to the discussion is G. Kamalini, the young wicketkeeper-batter in the auction pool at a base price of ₹40 lakh after being released by Mumbai Indians. Whether she plays a full season, a partial season, or prioritises age-group cricket is for her team and her board to confirm. How franchises plan for a crowded calendar, with backup wicketkeepers and flexible squads, could matter across a three-week season.

The auction on 28 October 2026 is live on JioHotstar from 5:30 PM IST, and it is the best way to understand each squad before January. For the season itself, set aside 14 January to 7 February 2027. With only 20 league matches, an Eliminator and a final, every match affects the table, so check the points table after each game. If you are new to the WPL, start with our history, winners and records guide.

You do not have to wait until January to build a WPL squad. Play the new WPL mode on CricArcade at cricarcade.com/wpl and run your own WPL season in your browser. Run the auction, build your squad, set your XI and play the season, free, with no download needed.

Can you end the Delhi wait, defend the title with RCB, or take UP Warriorz from bottom to champions? Pick a team and find out.

• Venues for WPL 2027 have not been officially announced at the time of writing on 26 October 2026. This guide lists no venue as confirmed and will be updated when the BCCI announces them.
• Captains are listed as of the 2026 season. Captaincy for 2027 is subject to franchise confirmation.
• The overlap with the U19 Women's T20 World Cup is covered as a reported scheduling clash. No player's withdrawal or full availability is stated as confirmed here.
• Auction outcomes, final squads and the match schedule were not known at the time of writing. Sections that depend on them will be updated after the auction on 28 October 2026 and after official schedule announcements.
• Views on team performance in 2027 are analysis based on 2026 results and retention positions, not confirmed outcomes.

• BCCI and Women's Premier League announcements for the WPL 2027 season window, 14 January to 7 February 2027, checked on 26 October 2026
• Women's Premier League auction records for the 2027 mini auction on 28 October 2026 in Kochi, including the pool, slots, purses and base prices
• Women's Premier League retention records closed on 28 September 2026, and the Tara Norris trade from UP Warriorz to Mumbai Indians
• Women's Premier League records for the 2026 season, including the points table, the 2026 final and the captains as of the 2026 season

• WPL 2027 Auction: Date, Players, Purse and Rules: Date, player pool, purses, slots and rules for the WPL 2027 mini auction in Kochi: 146 players chasing 27 places.
• WPL 2027 Auction: Team by Team: Each franchise's purse, open slots, retained core and biggest need going into the WPL 2027 auction.
• WPL 2027 Auction: The Players Who Will Start Bidding Wars: The overseas names and the 10 lakh bargains most likely to send paddles up in Kochi.
• How the WPL Auction Works: Mega and mini auctions, retention slabs, Right to Match, base prices and the Associate-player rule, explained.
• Play WPL Dynasty, or browse every guide.