The auction for the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to take place on 9th December. A total of 165 players will go under the gavel out of which 104 are Indians, 61 are overseas players and 15 are from associate nations. The five franchises have a maximum of 30 slots to fill with 9 slots available for overseas players. Previously, 60 players had been retained across the 5 teams while 29 had been released.
The Gujarat Giants will be entering the auction with the largest purse. They finished last in the previous season and as a result, have let go of more than half of their squad. They have 10 slots to fill and have INR 5.95 crore available. They are followed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore who have 7 slots available, defending champions Mumbai Indians with 5 slots, UP Warriorz with 5 slots, and Delhi Capitals with 3 slots to fill.
🚨 WPL Auction Update 🚨
A maximum of 30 slots are available with the five teams, with 9 spots for overseas players.#CricketTwitter #WPL2024 pic.twitter.com/SUNTWL5r2c
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 2, 2023
Veda Krishnamurthy, S Meghana, Meghna Singh, and Devika Vaidya are the major Indian-capped players who have listed themselves for the auction. Other big names are players like Chamari Athapaththu, Deandra Dottin, and Shabnim Ismail. Dottin and Australian pacer Kim Garth have slotted themselves in the top bracket of INR 50 lakhs. Four players, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Amy Jones, and Shabnim Ismail have listed themselves in the auction at a base price of INR 40 lakhs.
Chamari Athapaththu and Marufa Akter are players who can cause a bidding war at the auction. Athapaththu who has listed herself at a base price of INR 30 lakhs has been in sensational form. She was the second-highest run-scorer at the WBBL with 511 runs in 14 matches and was consistent throughout the tournament. The team that buys her at the auction will benefit immensely from her experience and skill set. 18-year-old Akter is another impressive talent in the auction pool. In just 13 matches, she delivered impactful and match-winning performances for Bangladesh. She will be a player to watch out for in the auction.
There are many prominent names like Megan Schutt, Sophia Dunkley, and Darcie Brown who have opted out of the auction due to hectic schedules, injury concerns and to prepare for the international season.
The auction is set to take place on 9th December in Mumbai.
Vaishnavi is a passionate author with an unwavering love for cricket, particularly women’s cricket. Her writing reflects her deep admiration for the sport and her dedication to promoting women’s participation in it. When she’s not following the latest cricket matches, Vaishnavi can be found engrossed in books or enjoying movies.