The World Cup is done and dusted, and India have done the most remarkable thing, they’re the new world champions. But the cricketing action doesn’t stop here. We’re just a couple of months away from the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), and the excitement is already building.
The retention deadline of November 5 is a crucial date for all teams looking to secure their core players before the mega auction on November 27 in New Delhi, where each franchise will have INR 15 crore to spend.
However, it seems that many fans are still unaware of the WPL retention process and are confusing it with the Indian Premier League (IPL) retentions. Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra recently took to X and wrote, “Gujarat Giants to retain the least, Mumbai Indians to retain the most. Let’s see.”
What followed was a wave of confusion in the comments section, with several users claiming that Chopra had got the team names wrong, pointing out that it’s “Gujarat Titans” in the IPL, not “Gujarat Giants.”
But Aakash Chopra was actually referring to the Women’s Premier League. In the WPL, Gujarat Giants are led by Australia’s star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, while the Mumbai Indians are captained by India’s World Cup-winning leader Harmanpreet Kaur. Chopra’s post was about the upcoming WPL retentions- not the men’s IPL- showing how they aren’t very aware of the upcoming retentions.
The job is going to be pretty simple for two-time and defending champions Mumbai Indians as their core looks locked. The two capped Indian players likely to be retained are skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and all-rounder Amanjot Kaur.
Among the overseas stars, Amelia Kerr and Nat Sciver-Brunt are almost certain to stay, given their consistent impact with both bat and ball, but then there also is Hayley Matthews. Young uncapped Indian wicketkeeper Gunalan Kamalini could also make it to the retention list, as the franchise may want to back her potential and build for the future, who also showed bright glimpses in the previous edition of the tournament.
For the Gujarat Giants, the challenge lies in choosing from a wealth of overseas talent. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner is almost certain to be retained, but the big question is whether the team goes with explosive left-handed opener Phoebe Litchfield, Laura Wolvaardt, or Beth Mooney as their second overseas pick.
Among the Indian contingent, Harleen Deol and Kashvee Gautam are likely to get the nod as the capped players. The Giants are most likely to use the Right-To-Match (RTM) card, which allows them to bring back players during the auction. The rule is simple and straightforward, the fewer the retentions, the more RTM cards a team gets, with up to five available if no players are retained at all.
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