Dates, fixtures, squads, TV and streaming information, format, and more… The Cricketer has all the information you need ahead of the second edition of the WPL
The second edition of the Women's Premier League, India's premier women's T20 competition.
The WPL starts on February 23 when Mumbai Indians take on Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru.
The 20-match group stage will run until March 13, with the tournament culminating in a two-match playoff series between March 15-17.
There are five teams involved in the WPL: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz.
Delhi Capitals, led by Meg Lanning (second left), reached the final in 2023 [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
The first 11 matches will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru before moving to Delhi's Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium for the remaining group matches and the playoffs.
The group stage is a double round robin, with each of the five teams playing eight matches.
The side in first place will advance straight through to the final on March 17 while the second and third-placed sides will meet in the Eliminator on March 15 to determine the second finalist.
Mumbai Indians won the inaugural edition of the WPL, thrashing UP Warriorz by 72 runs in the Eliminator before completing a seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals with three balls to spare in the final.
The Capitals, who boasted an identical record (six wins, two defeats) to Mumbai Indians in the group stage, had topped the table on net run rate.
Australia’s Meg Lanning led the way with the bat, scoring 345 runs in nine innings for Delhi Capitals, while Hayley Matthews (West Indies) and England spinner Sophie Ecclestone took 16 wickets apiece.
Nat Sciver Brunt, Kate Cross, and Sophie Ecclestone are among the England internationals involved in the WPL [Pankaj Nangia/Tony Marshall/Getty Images]
Six England internationals will be involved in the second season of the WPL. Mumbai Indians (Issy Wong and Nat Sciver-Brunt) and UP Warriorz (Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Wyatt) have two apiece while Alice Capsey and Kate Cross will represent Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, respectively.
England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and fast bowler Lauren Bell (UP Warriorz) have, however, withdrawn from their contracts to focus on England's tour of New Zealand. Nadine de Klerk and Chamari Athapaththu were selected as their replacements.
Australia's Annabel Sutherland was the big winner at December's auction after being picked up by Delhi Capitals for 2 crore (£198,000). Compatriots Lanning, Jess Jonassen, and Laura Harris and South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp are also on the Capitals' roster.
Scotland's Kathryn Bryce, meanwhile, is flying the flag for Associate cricket. She joins the likes of Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Laura Wolvaardt, and Phoebe Litchfield at Gujarat Giants.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr, and South African duo Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail are among the headline names at Mumbai Indians while RCB's stacked squad includes Smiriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry. They'll be desperate to improve on last season's two victories.
UP Warriorz have a trio of Australians at their disposal in Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris, while Deepti Sharma is the standout home player.
Scotland and The Blaze allrounder Kathryn Bryce was picked up by Gujarat Giants [Harry Trump/Getty Images]
Viacom18 are the official broadcast partners for the WPL after signing a five-year deal worth £97.5m in January 2023.
Viewers in India will be able to watch every match on the Sports18 network while the tournament can also be streamed via the JioCinema app.
In the UK, Sky Sports will show all 22 matches, with the majority available on Sky Sports Mix.
In Australia, fans can watch the WPL unfold on Fox Sports.
In USA, Willow TV will have all of the action for fans.
SuperSport have the broadcast rights in South Africa and Sub-Saharan regions.
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