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Women's Premier League To Be Played In January In 2026; Check The Reason

Women's Premier League [Source: @imfemalecricket/X.com]Women's Premier League [Source: @imfemalecricket/X.com]

In a significant announcement, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will officially kick off in January starting from 2026. This shift in schedule is a strategic move aimed at aligning the WPL with other major international fixtures and avoiding clashes with Australia’s popular home series, which traditionally takes place during the late January school holiday period. 

BCCI and Cricket Australia’s Plans for the WPL Schedule

Cricket Australia’s decision to reschedule reflects the impact of the BCCI’s move to hold the WPL earlier in the calendar year. According to Roach, a Cricket Australia official, this is the first Women’s Future Tours Program (FTP) to incorporate the WPL from its inception. Roach explained, 

"The BCCI's decision for the WPL to move earlier in the calendar year allowed us to look at our preferred times to play international cricket across the period.  

"We have for some years now sought free space for our magnificent women's team and players to shine, and also for the team to have a consistent presence at a certain time of the season.  

"The window of immediately following WPL in February-March was identified ...  this also allows us to extend the international cricket season which we see as an advantage – cricket around the country generally runs from the start of October to the end of March and having our biggest international matches spread over that period makes sense."  

What to Expect in the 2025 WPL Season

Before the January start date becomes official in 2026, fans can look forward to the third season of the WPL in early 2025. Although the exact schedule for the 2025 season hasn’t been released yet, it is expected to be held in February and March. The previous edition in 2024 began on February 23 and concluded with the final on March 17. Given that the first three seasons (2023-25) have been structured with 22 matches, this format is likely to continue into 2025 as well.

In the current WPL format, each of the five teams plays against the others twice, making a total of 20 league matches. This will be followed by Eliminator round between the second- and third-placed teams, and a final match between the Eliminator winner and the top team from the league stage. Reports suggest that from 2026, the WPL will expand, possibly featuring 33 to 34 matches.