Brabourne gets its third WPL final, and RCB open the 2027 season against Mumbai in Vadodara
The fifth Women’s Premier League runs from 14 January to 7 February, with 11 games at Kotambi Stadium before the last nine league matches and both playoffs move to Mumbai.
Nov 4, 2026
The fifth Women’s Premier League starts on Thursday 14 January 2027 in Vadodara, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, against Mumbai Indians, who won the first edition. The dates have been known since September, but the BCCI only released the fixtures and venues on Wednesday. The season runs to 7 February and is split between two grounds: Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara and the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Vadodara has the first 11 league games, from 14 to 24 January. After a day off, the league moves to Mumbai on 26 January, Republic Day, and Brabourne has the last nine league matches up to 3 February. The Eliminator is on Friday 5 February and the final on Sunday 7 February, both at Brabourne. Every match, playoffs included, starts at 7.30pm IST.
Why Navi Mumbai is missing
The 2026 season was also played in two cities, but the other one was Navi Mumbai. The DY Patil Stadium is being renovated, so the Mumbai leg goes back to the Cricket Club of India’s ground in the city. Vadodara will be Gujarat Giants’ home venue this season, and Mumbai will be home for Mumbai Indians.
Brabourne has done this before. It held the first WPL final in 2023, when Mumbai beat Delhi Capitals by seven wickets, and it hosted the 2025 final too, which Mumbai won by eight runs. The 2027 final will be its third in five seasons. The Brabourne pitch and records page has how the ground has played.
A familiar opener
Bengaluru and Mumbai have won all four titles between them, two each, and the trophy has changed hands every year. Mumbai won in 2023 and 2025, Bengaluru in 2024 and 2026. Nobody has defended it yet. Smriti Mandhana’s side get the first go at changing that, and they start against the team they took it from. If the odd-year pattern means anything, it is Mumbai’s turn, though two data points make a poor forecast. Delhi Capitals have reached all four finals and lost every one. The full WPL winners list has every final in detail.
The squads were settled at the mini-auction in Kochi on 28 October, where Australia captain Sophie Molineux went to UP Warriorz for ₹1.1 crore, the highest price paid.
England’s clash, and a busy February
The last week of the WPL overlaps with England’s three T20Is in Sri Lanka, from 1 to 5 February. England have said senior players, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt among them, can miss that series if their franchises reach the knockouts. Sciver-Brunt was retained by Mumbai, Lauren Bell by Bengaluru and Sophie Ecclestone by UP Warriorz.
The two grounds will not get much rest. The first Women’s Champions Trophy, a six-team event, is being played at Vadodara and Brabourne from 14 to 28 February, a week after the WPL final.