Women’s cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the WPL 2026 dates. The retention date falls on November 5 for all five franchises. Teams must finalise which players they want to keep by then.
The auction date is set for November 26-27 in New Delhi. WPL 2026 could start on January 6 or 8 next year. The tournament will run for approximately 4-5 weeks with 22 matches. The start change aims to give players more preparation time.
WPL 2026 Retention Rules and Details
The retention date of November 5 is crucial for all teams. Each franchise can keep a maximum of five players from its current squads. Teams get an INR 15 crore total budget for building their squads.
Three Indian capped players can be retained at most by teams. Two overseas or two uncapped Indian players are also allowed to retain. If five players get retained, one must be an uncapped player.
Player registration deadline is November 18 for the 2026 season. BCCI will officially release the final list on November 20. The keeping prices are fixed by BCCI for different slots.
Auction Date and Budget Breakdown for WPL 2026
The auction happens on November 26-27 which is coming soon. New Delhi will host the mega event.
The retained players’ values are tiered as follows:
Player 1 – INR 3.50 crore
Player 2 – INR 2.50 crore
Player 3 – INR 1.75 crore
Player 4 – INR 1 crore
Player 5 – INR 50 lakh
Retaining all five players deducts INR 9.25 crore from the budget. Teams retaining fewer players get Right-To-Match cards for bidding strategy. These RTM cards help teams buy back released players later.
WPL 2026 Start Date and Tournament Format
The start of the season is likely to be January 6 or 8 next year. Five teams will contend in a round-robin setup throughout the league. The top three teams qualify for the knockout stage after the league stage. The grand final will decide the WPL champion.
