Franchises gearing up for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season have been given a clear roadmap by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with the retention deadline set for November 5 and the mega auction scheduled between November 25 and 29.
According to the guidelines circulated to teams, each franchise will be allowed to hold on to a maximum of five players ahead of the auction. However, this comes with specific composition rules: up to three capped Indian players, up to two overseas players, and up to two uncapped Indian players. Notably, if a team chooses the full quota of five retentions, at least one must be an uncapped Indian cricketer.
Adding a new strategic twist to this year’s process, the WPL will introduce the Right-to-Match (RTM) option for the first time. This will allow franchises to buy back players who featured in their 2025 squads. However, a team retaining the maximum five players will lose the ability to use any RTMs. Retaining four players will permit one RTM, three players will give two RTMs, two players will offer three RTMs, and retaining just one player will allow four RTMs.
The auction purse for 2026 has been set at INR 15 crore, with fixed retention slabs providing a base value for retained players: INR 3.5 crore for Player 1, INR 2.5 crore for Player 2, INR 1.75 crore for Player 3, INR 1 crore for Player 4, and INR 50 lakh for Player 5. These deductions will directly impact the auction purse — retaining five players will cost INR 9.25 crore, four will cost INR 8.75 crore, three will cost INR 7.75 crore, two will cost INR 6 crore, and one will cost INR 3.5 crore.
Franchises and players will have the flexibility to negotiate amounts different from the slab rates, but any amount above the guideline figure will be deducted from the purse. For uncapped Indian players, a minimum retention price of INR 50 lakh has been set, although higher figures can be settled based on mutual agreement.
The WPL has also mapped out the other key dates in the build-up to the auction:
- November 5 – Deadline for player retention submissions.
- November 7 – Franchises to provide player lists for the auction pool.
- November 18 – Last date for player registrations.
- November 20 – Official auction player list to be released by the BCCI.
With strict roster limits, purse deductions, and the tactical potential of RTM cards, the 2026 WPL mega auction promises high-intensity bidding battles and strategic manoeuvres from all five franchises.
(Inputs sourced from ESPN Cricinfo)
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