After announcing their retentions and releases earlier this month, the five Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises—Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz—are now working on their strategies for the much-anticipated mini-auction.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, the 2025 WPL auction is set for December 15, 2024, in Bengaluru. Each franchise will have an increased auction budget of INR 15 crore, up from INR 12 crore in the inaugural season and INR 13.5 crore last year. The higher budget promises even fiercer and more competitive bidding this time around.
Smriti Mandhana, Ash Gardner, Kashvee Gautam, and Annabel Sutherland, among others, earned rich bids in aggressive battles during previous auctions. This time, several big names, including England’s Heather Knight, West Indies’ Deandra Dottin, and emerging domestic talents in Raghvi Bist, Fatima Jaffer, and Nandini Kashyap, are expected to go big under the hammer. However, an official list of nominations is still awaited.
At this auction, the five franchises will finalize their squads of 18, including six overseas players. Mumbai Indians (INR 2.65 Cr), Delhi Capitals (INR 2.50 Cr), Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 3.25 Cr), and Gujarat Giants each have four slots to fill, while UP Warriorz (INR 3.90 Cr) need to make three bids to complete their roster.
Following Mumbai Indians’ win in the inaugural edition and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s triumph in the following season, it remains to be seen if the WPL’s third season will see a new champion crowned. The auction strategies and picks of the teams will reveal much about the title contenders for this season.
Loves all things female cricket
