As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) prepares for its 2025 season, all franchises have now revealed their official retention lists, showcasing a mix of strategic choices and surprising releases. The retention phase—completed on November 7—leaves each team with open spots and the task of refining their squads at the auction, expected soon. This season, each team can hold up to 18 players, including a maximum of six overseas players, as they aim to strike the right balance for the competition ahead.
With the auction purse set at ₹15 crore, a jump from previous seasons, franchises have a better scope to bid on top talents. Here’s a look at who stays, who goes, and what’s at stake for each team in the upcoming auction.
Several big names were notably released, sparking discussions across the league. Sneh Rana, Lea Tahuhu, and Poonam Yadav have been released, leaving gaps that teams will look to fill with fresh talent. Royal Challengers Bengaluru made headlines by releasing England’s captain, Heather Knight, while Mumbai Indians parted ways with star pacer Issy Wong. These high-profile releases pave the way for an exciting auction as teams look to reconfigure their lineups.
Delhi Capitals
Retained: Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia, Minnu Mani, Sneha Deepthi, Titas Sadhu, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland
Released: Laura Harris, Poonam Yadav, Aparna Mondal, Ashwini Kumari
Purse Remaining: INR 2.5 crore
Slots Remaining: 4
Interesting that they’ve kept Lanning as skipper! Melbourne Stars haven’t, so, who knows, we may have new captain here too.
— Edged and Taken! (@TopSideOverSpin) November 8, 2024
No One is properly using Laura Harris Power hitting skills.
She Can be a explosive finisher for any team.— Bhargav (@meBhargavCherry) November 7, 2024
Mumbai Indians
Retained: Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Saika Ishaq, Shabnim Ismail, Yastika Bhatia
Released: Issy Wong, Fatima Jaffer, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala
Purse Remaining: INR 2.65 crore
Slots Remaining: 4
Fatima and Issy Wong 😢😥
And they didn’t play Tryon at all, yet retained. Can’t anyways understand MI these days, lost it’s footing.— Sunder (@rsunders) November 7, 2024
Underutilized. Not just in MI camp but in every franchise league she’s played for. She just needs more exposure and enough games to get better but unfortunately nobody’s giving her enough chances.
— nilesh (@nile_05) November 7, 2024
Can’t play both Ismail and Wong on turning pitches and this means More match time for Tryon finally!!
— No-One🇮🇳 (@CursedSe7en) November 7, 2024
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Retained: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sabbineni Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Wareham, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kanika Ahuja, Kate Cross, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge
Released: Heather Knight, Nadine de Klerk, Shubha Satheesh, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Simran Bahadur, Shraddha Pokharkar
Purse Remaining: INR 3.25 crore
Slots Remaining: 4
Should go for Rosemary mair
— WomenOnWickets (@WomenOnWickets) November 7, 2024
They should have retained Knight
— Akshay B (@ABD_HRX) November 8, 2024
There was no doubt about it….she is the star player of RCB….MVP
— NIDHI (@nidhitm12) November 7, 2024
UP Warriorz
Retained: Alyssa Healy, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Anjali Sarvani, Gouher Sultana, Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry, Vrinda Dinesh
Released: Parshavi Chopra, Laxmi Yadav, S Yashasri, Lauren Bell
Purse Remaining: INR 3.90 crore
Slots Remaining: 3
I want to see how grace Harris will belt on Indian slow pitches.. I would expect her to play lot of pull shots
— Vijay Kallugudde (@VijayKallugudde) November 7, 2024
I think it’s a good retained players for UPW.
— zytesh (@imzytesh) November 7, 2024
Gujarat Giants
Retained: Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Tanuja Kanwar, Shabnam Shakil, Priya Mishra, Trisha Poojitha, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh
Released: Lea Tahuhu, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan, Lauren Cheatle
Purse Remaining: INR 4.4 crore
Slots Remaining: 4
They have to fix their fast bowling! A massive weak link
— GKS (@GKS_Cricket) November 7, 2024
tahuhu won worldcup but no place?
— Bhanu kz (@bhanu_kz) November 7, 2024
Surprised to see Sneh Rana being released..
— Sanjeev (@sanjeevgedirala) November 7, 2024
They are lighting fire inside petrol pump 🤕. Annabelle Sutherland last year and now Sneh Rana. pic.twitter.com/Z14bPiMD3y
— sandeep rallapalli (@sandeep02444) November 7, 2024
The WPL 2025 auction promises fierce bidding, especially for overseas slots, as franchises aim to fill critical roles left vacant by the recent releases. With increased budgets and some slots still open, each team will be looking for fresh talent and experienced players to bring a competitive edge.
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