The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed to all five franchises that the WPL 2027 auction will be held on October 28 in Kochi.

The information was formally communicated to the five teams on September 16. The franchises will have to submit the retention and release of their players before September 28. According to the rules, each squad can have up to 18 players, of whom a maximum of six can be overseas players.

The BCCI is believed to have zeroed in on Mumbai (Braborune Stadium) and Vadodara (kotambi Stadium) as the venues for the season, which is expected to be held in January-February as India is set to host the inaugural edition of the Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027.

However, there are some suggestions to host some games in Varanasi, where a new stadium is being built, but it remains a remote possibility at this stage.

“The BCCI team will inspect whether the venue in Varanasi can be ready by then and, accordingly, a call will be taken on hosting matches there. For now, it’s Mumbai and Vadodara,” said a source.

However, several sources say that WPL will decide on hosting matches in Varanasi based on the stadium’s preparedness.

The venue would serve as the home venue for UP Warriorz and would give the league a new market and the franchise a home venue for only the second time, after it played in Lucknow in 2025.

A cricket operations team from BCCI will be inspecting the Varanasi venue before considering it for WPL matches. Since the stadium is new, the board is also looking at conducting domestic or practice games there.

“The possibility of hosting WPL matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was also discussed, but then it requires quite a few permissions from the local authorities,” the source informed.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has deferred a decision on the impact player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until next month.

The IPL governing council discussed the rule during its meeting on Tuesday, with franchises having already submitted their feedback to the BCCI.

“All the franchisees have submitted their feedback on the rule. That feedback will be assessed, and a final decision will be taken next month,” a source added.