Top 5: Domestic Female Players who could earn a bid at the WPL auction

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set for another thrilling auction, as teams gear up to strengthen their squads. Recently, the five WPL teams released their retention lists ahead of the league’s third edition. While overseas players often take the spotlight, several talented domestic players with exceptional performances are likely to catch the teams’ attention in the auction. Here are the top five domestic players who could attract significant bids in the third edition of the WPL.

Top 5 Domestic Female Players who could earn a bid at the WPL auction:

Humaira Kaazi

Having represented the Mumbai Indians franchise in the last two editions, Humaira Kaazi was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the third edition of the WPL. Though Kaazi featured in 17 matches, she had limited opportunities and batted only five times. However, Humaira Kaazi has been a proven player on the domestic stage in the last two seasons, which could attract teams in the auction. In the 2023-24 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, Humaira had an impressive season for Mumbai, scoring 258 runs in 10 matches, including two fifties, and averaging 32. In the recently concluded Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, Kaazi captained Mumbai and successfully guided them to defend their title, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 328 runs in 11 matches. Kaazi provides a reliable top-order option for teams in the WPL auction.

Sushma Verma

The experienced wicket-keeper-batter was part of the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural edition of the WPL but had a modest season the following year. However, Sushma has delivered brilliant performances in recent domestic competitions. Representing Himachal Pradesh in the 2023-24 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, Verma had an outstanding season, scoring 247 runs in six matches, including an unbeaten 114, and averaging 61. In the 2024-25 season, she again topped the run-scorers chart for Himachal Pradesh with 237 runs in nine matches. Her versatility as a wicketkeeper and strong recent form could make her a sought-after player in the upcoming WPL auction.

Jagravi Pawar

Next on the list is Mumbai pacer Jagravi Pawar. She had a remarkable 2024-25 Senior Women’s Trophy season, claiming 16 wickets in 11 matches with an economy of 4.0, including a three-wicket haul in the final against Bengal. Jagravi played a crucial role in Mumbai’s title win, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker and the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai. Her performance could attract teams looking for an Indian pacer.

Fatima Jaffer

The slow left-arm bowler from Mumbai, Fatima Jaffer, was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in the WPL’s second edition but didn’t get a game. Nevertheless, her domestic performances have been noteworthy. In the 2023-24 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, Jaffer took 12 wickets in 10 matches with an economy of 5.52. She followed it up with another stellar performance in the 2024-25 season, claiming 14 wickets in 10 matches for Mumbai during their title-winning campaign. She is also a capable batter, could be handy more often than not in the lower middle order.

Nandini Kashyap

The Uttarakhand wicket-keeper-batter has enjoyed a phenomenal year in domestic cricket. She was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural Uttarakhand Premier League, where she scored 123 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 133 for the Mussoorie Thunders. Nandini followed this up with a strong showing in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, where she was the third-highest run-scorer with 247 runs in seven innings, including a century. Her impressive performances could see teams competing for her in the WPL auction.