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WNBA, CBS Sports reach long-term media rights deal: 20 regular-season games to air during 2026 season

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The WNBA and CBS Sports announced a new long-term agreement on Wednesday that expands their partnership and will feature up to 20 regular-season games annually on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+. CBS Sports will air 20 games during the upcoming 2026 season, the most ever WNBA games for the network on broadcast television. 

The deal also includes an expanded pregame, halftime and postgame show featuring Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, former WNBA All-Star Renee Montgomery and CBS Sports reporter Jenny Dell. 

“The WNBA’s growth and cultural impact have never been stronger, and CBS Sports is proud to deepen our longstanding partnership with a league that continues to drive the evolution of women’s sports,” Dan Weinberg, the executive vice president of programming at CBS Sports, said in a statement. “With our entire schedule of games on broadcast television, we are broadening the league’s reach and amplifying the WNBA’s momentum with best-in-class coverage that reflects the excellence of its athletes and resonates with fans.”

Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Isis “Ice” Young (analyst) and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline) will return as the WNBA on CBS’s lead broadcast team. 

“The WNBA Tip Off Show,” led by Leslie, Montgomery and Dell, will expand to support 10 games, including six shows on CBS and Paramount+ and four digital-exclusive editions on CBS Sports HQ

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The full 2026 WNBA on CBS schedule will be announced at a later date.

The 2026 WNBA season will proceed as scheduled after the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this month. The term sheet was recently ratified by both the WNBA’s board of governors and the players’ union. 

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The 2026 WNBA season will begin May 8, and the 44-game regular season will run through Sept. 24, with a late-season break for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup from Sept. 1-16. The 2026 playoffs will begin on Sept. 27. Two new expansion franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, will join the league this year, bringing the total number of teams to 15. 

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“It’s something that we also spoke about in the captains’ meeting”- Shubman Gill expresses unhappiness over major rule in IPL 2026

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Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill did not hold back while giving his opinion on the Impact Player rule in IPL. The GT skipper said that he does not like the rule because in his view, the Impact Player takes the skill out of the game and makes it a more batter-friendly sport.

At the pre-season press conference of Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Shubman Gill was asked about his thoughts on the Impact Player rule. Ahead of IPL 2026, reports surfaced claiming that a few captains were not happy with the existing Impact Player rule.

It seems like Gill was one of those few names because here’s what he had to say about the Impact Player rule:

“Personally for me, I don’t think there should be Impact Player. I think cricket in general is an 11-player game, and on wickets where we play, on the grounds that we play, adding an extra batsman is, I think, it takes the skill out of the game.”

Gill further commented that chasing 160 or 180 without an Impact Player on tricky pitches leads to more exciting matches than the ones where 220-240 are chased down easily on flat decks with an Impact Player. He thought the Impact Player rule made the game more one-dimensional.

“So I mean it’s going to be there till 2027, it’s something that we also spoke about in the captains’ meeting yesterday,” Gill added.

Impact Player rule was introduced in the year 2023. Since then, the run rate in IPL matches has increased significantly, with teams chasing down 200+ targets successfully without breaking much sweat.

“I don’t like it that much”- Shubman Gill gives his honest take on the Impact Player rule

At the same press conference, Shubman Gill said that although the Impact Player rule makes the game more entertaining for the spectators, he does not it like it much.

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“I understand it makes the game bit more entertaining but let’s see, it’s there, it’s up to them what the BCCI is going to take their decision but personally I don’t like it that much,” Shubman Gill concluded.

The Impact Player rule is here to stay in IPL 2026. It will be interesting to see how captain Gill uses the Impact Player while leading the Gujarat Titans in IPL matches this year.