Lights, Fire, and Fresh Faces: WPL 2026 Blasts Off in Navi Mumbai

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 began with a mix of high-octane cricket and Bollywood-style glamour as defending champions Mumbai Indians faced 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.

On the field, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bowl first, citing the evening dew factor as a key tactical consideration for the decision.[2] Mumbai Indians entered the match without star all-rounder Hayley Matthews, who was ruled out of the opener due to illness, as confirmed by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur before the game.[2]

Off the field, the WPL 2026 launch doubled as a major entertainment spectacle. Mrs Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu opened the ceremony with a speech celebrating the power and visibility of women in sport and society, setting the tone for the evening.[2][4][6] She was followed by actor Jacqueline Fernandez, who performed with a troupe of dancers to the hit track “Yaar Naa Miley”, complete with a stage setup featuring pyrotechnics and fire elements for visual impact.[2][4][6]

The highlight of the show came when rapper-singer Honey Singh took the stage in an all-black outfit, starting his set with his song “Millionaire” and sharing the spotlight with Mandhana and Harmanpreet, the captains of RCB and MI.[2] Their joint appearance reinforced the league’s positioning of women’s cricket as a mainstream, prime-time entertainment product aimed at a broad Indian audience.[2][4][6]

WPL 2026 is the fourth edition of the tournament and runs from January 9 to February 5, featuring the same five franchises: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz.[1][3][5] The early narrative is a clash of recent champions, with Mumbai entering as defending title-holders and RCB still riding the momentum of their breakthrough 2024 campaign that ended a long wait for a major trophy.[3][5]

Pre-tournament analysis suggests that Mumbai Indians again start as slight favourites, largely because they have retained the core group that guided them to multiple deep runs, including India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and a settled Indian domestic contingent.[1][5] Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile, are banking on continuity under Mandhana and the form of their overseas contingent, even after the late withdrawal of Australian star Ellyse Perry from this season.[1][5]

Other franchises have undergone more visible change. Delhi Capitals have handed captaincy to Jemimah Rodrigues, building around a strong top order of Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt, while still managing a reshuffle after all-rounder Annabel Sutherland pulled out close to the tournament.[1][5] UP Warriorz made a major leadership move by bringing in former Delhi skipper Meg Lanning, who now joins experienced India all-rounder Deepti Sharma in a bid to push the franchise into title contention.[5][7]

Gujarat Giants enter WPL 2026 after a substantial squad overhaul, with analysts highlighting the franchise as a potential surprise package if their new domestic and overseas combinations click quickly.[1] The Giants’ strategy focuses heavily on emerging Indian talent, seen as both a short-term competitive bet and a long-term investment for future expansion and retention cycles.[1]

Beyond franchise storylines, WPL 2026 arrives at a pivotal moment for Indian cricket. It is being viewed as a key selection platform ahead of the next ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, giving national selectors an extended look at players across pressure situations and conditions similar to international white-ball cricket.[5][7] India vice-captain Mandhana underlined this in her pre-tournament comments, calling the league a vital opportunity to fine-tune the T20 squad and bridge remaining gaps between India and the world’s top teams.[5]

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur also reiterated that the WPL has already played a “very big role” in raising standards in women’s cricket domestically and internationally, especially after India’s recent ICC trophy win.[7] She noted that the 2026 season features “very exciting talent” across squads and expressed confidence that higher competition levels would directly benefit the national side.[7]

Among the most closely watched aspects this year is the influx of young domestic players. Prospects such as U-19 World Cup winners G Kamalini (retained by Mumbai Indians) and G Trisha (signed by UP Warriorz) are expected to receive more consistent opportunities.[7] The presence of these players, and the strong pool that still could not be accommodated at auction, has already renewed discussion about adding at least one more franchise in future seasons to absorb India’s expanding talent base.[7]

Foreign talent also continues to headline WPL 2026, though a few high-profile absentees have altered team combinations. Along with Perry and Sutherland’s late pullouts and Alyssa Healy going unsold at the auction,[5] teams have turned to alternative overseas options such as seam bowler Lauren Bell and all-rounders like Nadine de Klerk, who both feature in RCB’s plans for the opening fixture.[2][8] Bell has described the build-up as “really fun” and emphasised her excitement for playing in front of Indian crowds in a league that is rapidly gaining global stature.[8]

From a broader perspective, WPL 2026 is widely expected by commentators to reach new commercial and sporting heights, following three seasons of growing viewership and tightening competition.[5][7] Analysts note that the blend of strong domestic cores, a maturing auction ecosystem, and heavy investment in presentation and entertainment — epitomised by the star-studded opening ceremony — is steadily pushing the league towards becoming one of India’s flagship sports properties.[2][4][5][6]