Deepti Sharma topped the list of World Cup winners released in the auction pool ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction scheduled to be held on November 27. Here are the key talking points from each franchise’s retention processes:
UPW made a fresh start in the auction, opting to retain only uncapped Shweta Sehrawat, meaning former skippers Dipti Sharma and Alyssa Healy were let go as was rookie Kranti Goud.
Dipte, who was the Player of the Tournament in the last World Cup as well as in the recent WPL, was their star player in the team. UPW still has four match options, but Deepti will likely attract the attention of other teams and won’t come cheap.
UPW Reservations: Shweta Shehrawat (Rs 50 lakh); Remaining portfolio: Rs 14.5 crore
delhi capitals
Meg Lanning has led DC to three straight finals but with the possibility of only keeping two outsiders a maximum, the team picked Marizanne Kapp and Annabelle Sutherland as all-rounders. The Indian international players who have been retained are Jemima Rodrigues and Shafali Verma. Sree Charani was a standout player in the World Cup but DC opted for a combination of two Indian spinners and two foreign players, instead of the maximum three Indians allowed.
DC retention: Jemima Rodriguez (Rs 2.2 crore), Shafali Verma (Rs 2.2 crore), Annabelle Sutherland (Rs 2.2 crore), Marizan Kapp (Rs 2.2 crore), Nikki Prasad (Rs 50 lakh); Remaining portfolio: Rs 5.7 lakh crore
Mumbai Indians
The big headache for the two-time champions was deciding which of their all-rounders stars to keep, and they chose Nat Skiver-Brent and Hayley Matthews, with New Zealander Millie Kerr released.
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Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is on the second panel, below Sciver-Brunt while Amanjot Kaur gets the nod as the second Indian player to keep. G Kamalini, who created a sensation at last year’s auction, was retained for a lower price of Rs 50 lakh.
MI retention: Nat-Sciver Brunt (Rs 3.5 Crore), Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs 2.5 Crore), Hayley Mathews (Rs 1.75 Crore), Amanjot Kaur (Rs 1 Crore), G Kamalini (Rs 50 Lakh); Remaining portfolio: Rs 5.75 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
While there is uncertainty regarding ownership of the franchise, there has not been much discussion regarding keeping it. Smriti Mandhana, as the face of the team, received the highest slab of Rs 3.5 crore. Richa Ghosh’s stock rose during the World Cup due to her powerful batting, and keeping her out was always Ellyse Perry. However, the franchise was unable to retain Renuka Singh Thakur and Sneh Rana, instead opting to back up Shreyanka Patil who is out due to injury for the 2025 season.
RCB Retention: Smriti Mandhana (Rs 3.5 crore), Richa Ghosh (Rs 2.75 crore), Ellyse Perry (Rs 2 crore), Shreyanka Patel (Rs 60 lakh); Remaining portfolio: Rs 6.15 lakh crore
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Gujarat Giants
Along with UPW, GG also opted for a massive rebuild, having had a memorable auction before the first edition and suffering the consequences over the next two years. Laura Wolfhardt and Phoebe Litchfield were notable overseas names in the team who also had impressive World Cup finals performances, but instead they chose to stick with two big Australian stars in Ashley Gardner and Beth Mooney. One glaring issue with their original squad was the lack of a star Indian player apart from Harleen Deol and they were looking to address that in this mega auction.
GG Reservations: Ashley Gardner (₹3.5 crore) and Beth Mooney (₹2.5 crore); Remaining portfolio: Rs 9 crore
