Overview
- The men's and women's competitions opened on Tuesday, July 21 with Sunrisers Leeds Women beating MI London Women and MI London Men defeating Sunrisers Leeds Men, signalling the start of the tournament that runs through August 16.
- A first-ever March auction and a record salary cap replaced the old draft and produced big-name signings that altered squad construction across all eight franchises.
- Late-2025 sales of all eight teams to private and IPL-linked investors led to three rebrands — MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and Manchester Super Giants — changing commercial identities and increasing investment in the competition.
- Rule changes allow four overseas players in the playing XI, a move that, together with the auction, amplified international recruitment while Indian women players (including Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh) feature but active Indian men remain absent because of BCCI policy.
- Broadcasters are largely settled — Sky and BBC in the UK, Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV for India, Willow in North America — though some outlets reported conflicting information about FanCode’s role, and early fitness concerns such as Kate Cross’s shoulder injury are being scanned and monitored by teams.