Why WPL 2026 is Still Not Played in Home-and-Away Format
The WPL's fourth season kicked off with a bang, on January 9 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians.
This is the first season of the WPL after the surge in popularity of women's cricket post last year's Women's World Cup and another encouraging factor, the first after a massive overhaul of its squads during the mega auction, raising expectations about ultimate competition and quality.
In fact, even though the league has grown, the tournament has persisted unchanged in its structural format.
Caravan Format for the Fourth Consecutive Year
Like the first three editions, WPL 2026 would be played in the caravan format at just two venues instead of a home-away system like its male counterpart, the IPL.
The decision has been made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to use the format once again basically due to the limited time available for the tournament and few participating teams. With only five franchises, there would be some difficulty in moving the frequent traveling between the cities, especially with not much time in between matches.
The caravan system allows two games to be played back-to-back while significantly reducing logistical constraints.
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Expansion Prerequisite for Home-and-Away
Home-and-away has always been a request from the fans and other stakeholders but till expansion happens, that seems doubtful.
Delhi Capitals' owner Parth Jindal recently hinted that change may not be far, with extra teams perhaps being the catalyst for a more traditional league format.
During the Press interaction after WPL Auction, Parth Jindal said:
"I think we would love to see the WPL home and away as well, and I think this caravan format is okay, but it is not ideal. I hope that and I am sure that the BCCI is working on it. I think the amount of time that they get is very short and that is why they have to fit the WPL within this window, but I hope we get a bigger and longer window for the WPL going forward. I think it is imminent that one or two new teams will come in at some point, and that is why I think the cycle is such a short cycle with the two WPLs happening over 14 months. So I am pretty sure that the BCCI is planning on adding a team, and maybe with that addition, we move to a home and away format. That would be ideal for the fans, for the game, and for the growth of the WPL."
Venues for the 2026 Season
The 2026 WPL will be held over two venues. The first 11 matches of the tournament will take place in Navi Mumbai, and the last 10 games, including the Eliminator and final, will be held at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara.
The familiar circuit continues for the league. The inaugural season was held at Navi Mumbai and Mumbai (CCI) before Delhi and Bengaluru hosted the subsequent editions. The 2025 season expanded to four venues: Vadodara, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
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Format Remains Competitive
Despite being without home-and-away fixtures, the league format is such that balance is provided amongst the teams. All five teams play each other two times in the league stage.
The topmost team directly enters the final, while the second and third-placed teams contest an eliminator, with the winner getting the last seat in the final.
Throughout WPL's fourth season, getting the best out of competitive cricket has indicated a pathway for further extension down the line.