Welcome to Sporstar’s coverage of the WPL 2023 auction in Mumbai. This is Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan bringing you the latest updates..
That brings us to an end of the auction. Let’s take a look at the squads at the end of this exercise.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE FULL LIST OF SOLD AND UNSOLD PLAYERS
Sahana Pawar to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Jintimani Kalita to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 Lakh
Sonam Yadav to Mumbai Indians at INR 10 Lakh
Shabnam Shakeel to Gujarat Giants for INR 10 Lakh
Megan Schutt to RCB for 40 Lakh
Time for the last part of the WPL Auction: the 2nd accelerated auction
Priyanka Bala to Mumbai Indians for INR 20 Lakh
Parunika Sisodhia to Gujarat Giants for INR 10 Lakh
Komal Zanzad to RCB for INR 25 Lakh
Poonam Khemnar to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Humairaa Kaazi to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 Lakh
Ashwani Kumari to Gujarat Giants for INR 35 Lakh
Aparna Mondal to Delhi Capitals for INR 10 Lakh
Simran Shaikh to UP Warriorz for INR 10 Lakh
Preeti Bose to RCB for INR 30 Lakh
Dane van Niekerk to RCB for INR 30 Lakh
Chloe Tryon to Mumbai Indians for INR 30 Lakh
Sneha Deepthi to Delhi Capitals for INR 30 Lakh
Hurley Gala to Gujarat Giants for INR 10 Lakh
Jess Jonassen to Delhi Capitals for INR 50 Lakh
Poonam Yadav to Delhi Capitals for INR 30 Lakh
Sushma Verma to Gujarat Giants for INR 60 Lakh
Taniya Bhatia to Delhi Capitals for INR 30 Lakh
Heather Knight to RCB at INR 40 Lakh
Hayley Matthews goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 40 Lakh
UNSOLD PLAYERS: Suzie Bates, Alana King, Swagatika Rath, Ishwari Savkar, Shipra Giri, Tess Flintoff, Neetu Singh, Nishu Choudhary, Parushi Prabhakar,
The first accelerated auction is done. The second one is to begin in a few minutes. Before we head to the final part of the auction, here’s how the purses look for the franchises:
Delhi Capitals: 2.15 CR
Gujarat Giants: 1.3 CR
Mumbai Indians: 1.3 CR
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1.95 CR
UP Warriorz: 10LAKH
ACCELERATED AUCTION TIME!
Asha Shobana to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Saika Ishaque to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 Lakh
Tanuja Kanwer to Gujarat Giants for INR 50 Lakh
Kanika Ahuja to RCB for INR 35 Lakh
Shreyanka Patil to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Minnu Mani to Delhi Capitals for INR 30 Lakh
Indrani Roy to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Laxmi Yadav to UP Warriorz for INR 10 Lakh
Disha Kasat to RCB for INR 10 Lakh
Jasia Akhter to Delhi Capitals for INR 20 Lakh
Dhara Gujjar to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 Lakh
Laura Harris to Delhi Capitals for INR 45 Lakh
Tara Norris to Delhi Capitals for INR 10 Lakh
Monica Patel to Gujarat Giants for INR 30 Lakh
Lauren Bell goes to UP Warriorz for INR 30 Lakh
D Hemalata to Gujarat Giants for INR 30 Lakh
Amanjot Kaur to Mumbai Indians for INR 50 Lakh
Devika Vaidya goes to UP Warriorz for INR 1.4 CR
Mansi Joshi goes to Gujarat Giants for INR 30 Lakh
Isabel Wong goes to Mumbai Indians for 30Lakh
Alice Capsey goes to Delhi Capitals for 75 Lakh
Georgia Wareham goes to Gujarat Giants for 75 Lakh
Grace Harris goes to UP Warriorz for INR 75 Lakh
Heather Graham goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 30 Lakh
Erin Burns to RCB for INR 30 Lakh
S Meghana goes to Gujarat Giants for INR 30 LAKH
Kiran Navgire goes to UP Warriorz for INR 30 LAKH
PLAYERS WHO REMAIN UNSOLD: Bharati Fulmali, Sneha Deepthi, Priya Punia, Kim Garth, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Simran Dil Bahadur, Anuja Patil, Swagatika Rath, Arundathi Reddy, Meghna Singh, Gouher Sultana, Ekta Bisht, Preeti Bose, Mahika Gaur, Divya Gyanananda, Ishwari Savkar, Arushi Goel, Shipra Giri, Tarannum Pathan, Ashwani Kumari, Sajana S, Humairaa Kazi, Nishu Choudhary, Parunika Sisodia, Sarah Bryce, Kathryn Bryce
Joining us late? We have you covered. Here’s a look at all the squads in the Women’s Premier League so far.
FULL SQUADS
- Delhi Capitals - ft. Jemimah, Shafali, Meg Lanning
- Gujarat Giants- ft. Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner
- Mumbai Indians ft. Harmanpreet Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Nat Sciver
- Royal Challengers Bangalore ft. Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry
- UP Warriorz ft. Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy
S YASHASRI GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 10L
A BUNCH OF UNSOLD PLAYERS FOLLOW: NAJLA CMC, SONAM YADAV, SHABNAM SHAKIL, FALAK NAZ, SONIA MENDHIYA, SHORNA AKTER (BANGLADESH), SHIKHA SHALOT, HURLEY GALA
SHWETA SEHRAWAT GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 40L: UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals at it again. Everyone else needs to spend stingily now given that they splurged early on. Shweta Sehrawat led India before Shafali Verma entered the team. She had a great tournament with the bat finishing as the top runscorer in the U19 World Cup. UP manages to triumph here.
MANNAT KASHYAP GOES UNSOLD
TITAS SADHU GOES TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR INR 25 L: Bidding war between Delhi and UP Warriorz. Delhi have it in their hands. But the asking rate goes up to 20 L thanks to UP but Delhi challenges that.
G TRISHA GOES UNSOLD
ARCHANA DEVI GOES UNSOLD
GRACE SCRIVENS GOES UNSOLD: Player of the tournament in the U19 World Cup but she goes unsold for now.
PARSHAVI CHOPRA TO UP WARRIORZ FOR 10L - UP Warriorz lift their paddle right away and they get her for 10L.
SOUMYA TIWARIGOES UNSOLD- She hit India’s winning runs in that U19 Final and Gujarat is considering a bid but says no. She remains unsold.
HRISHITA BASU GOES UNSOLD
That concludes the allrounder set. Now we head to the set of emerging players.
MARIZANNE KAPP TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR INR 1.5 CR: UP Warriorz and Delhi go for the South African talisman. Marizanne is a match-winner, key for her sides with bat and ball. RCB gets into the mix, with the bidding war now going between RCB and DC. We’re headed towards the 1 CR mark. Gujarat hikes it to 1 CR. Delhi takes it to 1.5 CR. Was this the player Delhi was saving funds for? SOLD! WHAT A PURCHASE THIS. THE TABLE IS DELIGHTED.
SNEH RANA TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR 75 L: Gujarat Giants show immediate interest. The Railways colleagues trying to band together here. Mithali, Nooshin and Sneh have all been part of the domestic giant. Warriorz are not letting them have it easy but to the Giants she goes for 75L.
SHIKHA PANDEY TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR INR 60L: Delhi and Gujarat get into the mix for the Indian pace bowling all-rounder. That amount has spiked to 60L. Gujarat backs out and she heads to the Capitals.
JESS JONASSEN GOES UNSOLD
SALMA KHATUN GOES UNSOLD
NADINE DE KLERK GOES UNSOLD
RADHA YADAV GOES TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR INR 40 LAKH. Delhi has a fat purse but have this Indian all-rounder for her base price.
LEIGH KASPEREK GOES UNSOLD
5:07pm IST: We return and we begin with set 8 - the second set of allrounders
Has Gujarat Giants got their tactic a bit wrong by focussing heavily on foreign players? Five overseas players already so far. They will focus on balancing out their foreign contingent with a potent Indian lineup too. Will they manage that? We’ll have to wait and watch.
Indian and Australian players seem to be the flavour of the auction so far. The West Indians and English players have not had the luck one would have expected them to have but the accelerated auction is where we need to focus to see who gets snapped up at base price.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUCTION SO FAR: 7 sets are done so far and here are the talking points
WPL - HOW THE TEAMS STAND | PURSE REMAINING
A fifteen minute break is underway and this will give us some time to take stock of what’s gone on so far in the WPL Auction.
FRAN JONAS ALSO REMAINS UNSOLD
AFY FLETCHER GOES UNSOLD
ALANA KING GOES UNSOLD.
INOKA RANAWEERA GOES UNSOLD
POONAM YADAV GOES UNSOLD: Delhi is considering whether they want to go in for the Indian spinner but decide against it. The Indian spinner had a mercurial T20 World Cup in 2020 but has since fallen off the radar a bit and will go unsold.
NONKULULEKO MLABA GOES UNSOLD
RAJESHWARI GAYAKWAD GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 40L : UP gets the ball rolling after a list of unsold players. For 40 lakhs. And it goes to the Warriorz.
SARAH GLENN GOES UNSOLD
That ends set 6. Time now for set 7 - spin bowlers.
SHAKERA SELMAN GOES UNSOLD
AYABONGA KHAKA GOES UNSOLD
LEA TAHUHU GOES UNSOLD
JAHANARA ALAM ALSO GOES UNSOLD.
MEGAN SCHUTT GOES UNSOLD
ANJALI SARVANI TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 55L: UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants are in the mix for the Indian pacer. She finally goes to the UP Warriorz for 55L. SOLD.
FREYA DAVIES GOES UNSOLD
SHAMILIA CONNEL GOES UNSOLD
That ends set 5. Time now for set 6. Bowlers - specifically pacers.
AMY JONES GOES UNSOLD. The England keeper has no takers.
BERNADINE BEZUIDENHOUT GOES UNSOLD. No takers for the White Ferns keeper.
SUSHMA VERMA GOES UNSOLD
ALYSSA HEALY TO THE UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 70 L: UP Warriorz takes a shot at the Aussie keeper and opening bat. Warriorz still have her but for 70L. AND SOLD.
RICHA GHOSH TO RCB FOR 1.9 CR: Good keeper, great finisher. Who will snap up this U19 World Champion? RCB and Delhi are in the mix. RCB currently has the highest bid at 1.9 CR. UP Warriorz wants to enter the bidding war but ask for some time. RCB finally gets the Indian wicketkeeper. The team seems quite pleased with that buy.
YASTIKA BHATIA TO MUMBAI INDIANS FOR 1.5 CR : Gujarat and Mumbai bid for the Indian keeper-batter. Fairly brisk bidding war as the price tag goes up to 75L from her 40L base price. That goes up to 1.5 CR thanks to the Mumbai Indians and SOLD.
ANUSHKA SANJEEVANI GOES UNSOLD. No takers for the Sri Lankan keeper.
TANIYA BHATIA GOES UNSOLD.
That concludes Set 4. Time now for Set 5, which is all wicketkeepers.
DEANDRA DOTTIN TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR INR 60 L: This is one to watch. After some hesitation, Gujarat Giants and Delhi capitals get into the thick of things. STEAL. She goes to Gujarat for 60 L. SOLD.
POOJA VASTRAKAR TO MUMBAI INDIANS FOR INR 1.9 CR: Delhi and Mumbai in a bidding war for the Indian pace bowling allrounder. Likened to Hardik Pandya in what she brings to the team, she is an asset for a T20 unit. Warriorz have also entered the bidding war now as Delhi takes a backseat.
HARLEEN DEOL TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR 40 L: Gujarat gets the ball rolling at her base price of 40 L. SOLD.
CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU GOES UNSOLD. Shocker this.
DANNI WYATT ALSO GOES UNSOLD.
SUNE LUUS GOES UNSOLD. No takers for the South African skipper
ANNABEL SUTHERLAND TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR INR 70 L: Another smart acquisition for Gujarat Giants. Another Australian in the mix for the side. Are we saying Rachel Haynes accumulate the match-winners she knows?
HEATHER KNIGHT GOES UNSOLD. No takers for the England captain
Ellyse Perry WAS IN THE NETS BUT Ash Gardner WAS watching the auction when they raked big bucks!
UNSOLD PLAYERS: Hayley Matthews, Suzie Bates, Laura Wolvaardt, Tammy Beaumont, Tazmin Brits - Very surprised to see Laura Wolvaardt and Hayley Matthews in this list given their T20 franchise cricket credentials. Will be interesting to see if any of these names make their way back into the sold list.
TOP BUYS SO FAR
The auction has paused for a 10-minute break. When we return, the all-rounders go under the hammer.
TAMMY BEAUMONT GOES UNSOLD
SHAFALI VERMA GOES TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR 2CR: Delhi and RCB spar and the price is up to 1.2 CR. There are smiles on both tables. RCB backs out. Mumbai comes in at the 1.3 CR mark. Delhi is persistent - Parth Jindal with the paddle. The Delhi team asks for a minute to think it through as the bid stands at 1.9 CR.
LAURA WOLVAARDT GOES UNSOLD
TAZMIN BRITZ GOES UNSOLD
MEG LANNING TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR 1.1 CR: Mumbai Indians and Delhi capitals fighting it out for the decorated Australian skipper. Looks like it’s going to Delhi Capitals
SUZIE BATES GOES UNSOLD
JEMIMAH RODRIGUES TO DELHI CAPITALS FOR 2.2 CR: UP Warriorz opens the bidding at 50 Lakh. Delhi enters the mix. Jemimah is a JSW-sponsored athlete. Can the group find a way to rope her in? UP is standing in the way at the moment taking the price up to 80 Lakhs. Delhi perseveres and stays in the mix. Mumbai enters the mix, raising the price eventually to 2 CR. Delhi says 2.2 CR and Nita Ambani bows out. SOLD TO DC.
SOPHIA DUNKLEY TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR 60 LAKHS: Delhi, Gujarat spar for the England batter. She has been a very useful middle-order batter for England, doubling up as opener or finisher when needed. SOLD to Gujarat.
Time now for batters.
A LOT of money has been spent with this marquee set. Smriti Mandhana is the most expensive player in this auction as it stands. Nat Sciver and Ash Gardner earned big with 3.2 CR price tags each. Harmanpreet Kaur was the surprising acquisition for just 1.8 CR for Mumbai. Hayley Matthews is the only player to go unsold.
AMELIA KERR TO MUMBAI INDIANS FOR 1 CR: Mumbai begins the bidding at 40 Lakh. RCB and Delhi Capitals enter the bidding war. Mumbai keeps going to 80 Lakh. RCB now thinking it through but they still put up the paddle to spike it to 85 Lakh. Mumbai goes up to 1 CR. RCB is done. No one else seems to be coming in for the NZ allrounder.
SHABNIM ISMAEL GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR 1 CR: UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals spar for the South African pacer. She is easily the fastest woman playing cricket at the moment and is an imposing presence in the format. The asking rate goes up to 85L with Delhi and UP going at it relentlessly. The tag goes up to 1 CR.
BETH MOONEY TO GUJARAT FOR INR 2 CR: RCB comes in for Mooney. She is a solid presence in the batting order for any time she heads to and Mumbai knows that too as they enter the mix. The price has gone past the 1 CR mark in no time. Again. RCB going very confidently with a depleted purse, are they trying to spike the price to make other franchises spend more? Delhi enters the mix now at the 1.4 CR mark. Mumbai Indians still have the highest bid. Gujarat Giants come in at 1.6 CR. Nita Ambani is bargaining with her team. Jayawardene, her son Akash are all discussing if they should keep going. Gujarat has it now with 2 CR. SOLD.
TAHLIA MCGRATH to UP Warriorz for 1.4 CR: Royal Challengers and Gujarat Giants in the mix for the Aussie allrounder. RCB needs to keep an eye on their purse and how much they have left. Delhi Capitals enters the fray at the 80 Lakh mark. We’ve gone past the 1 CR mark for McGrath. As Gujarat looks set to buy, UP Warriorz comes in with the price tag at 1.4 CR. SOLD.
NAT SCIVER-BRUNT TO MUMBAI INDIANS FOR 3.2 CR: Mumbai and Delhi in a heated bidding war for the England batting mainstay. UP Warriorz enter the fight and the price has gone up to 2CR courtesy Mumbai’s adamant bidding. We currently stand at 2.8 CR for Natalie Sciver-Brunt. She has been a key part of many a win for England. UP Warriorz takes the price up to 3 CR. She is snapping at Mandhana’s heals now. Mumbai gets her and Mrs. Nita Ambani is ecstatic!
RENUKA SINGH TO ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE FOR 1.6 CR: RCB and Delhi Capitals enter a bidding war for the Indian seamer. She has had a good two years with impressive figures in bilaterals and India’s Commonwealth Games campaign. She has had the unenviable job of stepping up right after Jhulan Goswami called time on her career. The price is up to 1.5 CR with RCB. Gujarat Giants looked like they wanted to enter the fight but they back out. Bangalore puts in another big bid with 1.5 CR for Renuka, SOLD.
DEEPTI SHARMA GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 2.6 CR: Delhi Capitals, after some hesitation, goes for Deepti Sharma at her base price. Mumbai Indians read the room and then come in with a 55 Lakh bid after which Gujarat comes in. It’s a three-way tussle now between these three franchises. Lot of talk happening in the Gujarat table which takes it to 1 CR. Now, Delhi and Gujarat in a bidding war for the star Indian all-rounder. Mumbai Indians enters at the 1.4 CR mark as Gujarat takes a back seat, the negotations going between Mumbai and Delhi now. Delhi could be a bit jittery having not roped in a marquee player yet. Deepti is as perfect as they come. Mumbai takes the price up to 2 CR. Surprise! UP Warriorz enter and raise the price to 2..2 CR. Mumbai ups the stakes to 2.4 CR. UP will not relent. And sold to the UP Warriorz for 2.6 CR. Delhi left disappointed yet again.
Time for Marquee players set 2. Deepti Sharma, Beth Mooney etc in the fray.
“We are very happy to get such quality players. It was a dream result for us. ”MIKE HESSON, RCB
SOPHIE ECCLESTONE GOES TO UP WARRIORZ FOR INR 1.8 CR : Gujarat and Delhi tussle for the spinner from England. She took three wickets in the opening encounter against West Indies in the ongoing T20 World Cup and is a prolific match-winner for clubs and country. The price goes to 1.10 CR and the Warriorz enter the bidding war with Gujarat dropping out of the mix. SHe finally goes to the UP Warriorz for 1.8 CR.
ELLYSE PERRY GOES TO ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE FOR INR 1.7 CR: Bidding war between RCB and Delhi but the Aussie allrounder wil head to RCB and the team is thrilled with fist bumps going around the table.
ASHLEIGH GARDNER TO GUJARAT GIANTS FOR INR 3.2 CR: Mumbai Indians raise their hands right at the start. The asking price goes to 2 CR in no time with UP Warriorz entering the bidding war. A heated bidding war ensues, with Gujarat also in the mix, taking Gardner’s price beyond the 3 CR mark. The all-rounder most recently took a fifer in the World Cup campaign opener against NZ. And now she heads to Gujarat Giants
HAYLEY MATTHEWS GOES UNSOLD: No takers for the Windies skipper
SOPHIE DEVINE TO ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE FOR HER BASE PRICE: No contest here as RCB gets the New Zealand skipper without a fight for her base price of 50L. KNOW MORE HERE.
Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet unite in the Women’s Premier League as Mumbai Indians ropes in the Indian captain for INR 1.8 CR.
HARMANPREET KAUR TO MUMBAI INDIANS FOR INR 1.8 CR: How it went: RCB begins the bidding yet again and this time the tussle is with Delhi Capitals. Mumbai gets into the picture after the price goes beyond a crore. Mumbai and Delhi now bidding for Harmanpreet. Mumbai sits with the highest bid at 1.6 CR. Bangalore and Delhi seem to have dropped back. But 1.7 is the new bid coming in from UP Warriorz. Mumbai takes the lead again at 1.8 CR.
Harmanpreet Kaur is the next name.
SMRITI MANDHANA TO ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE FOR INR 3.4 CR: How it went: Mumbai Indians comes right in at 50L. Royal Challengers enter the tussle and a little bidding war ensues between the two franchises. Smriti touches 1 CR. Neither of the two seem to want to let go. Mumbai pumps the asking rate to 2 CR. With Mumbai at 2.40, RCB pauses to think but ends up going up to INR 2.6 CR. Charlotte Edwards is seated right beside Nita Ambani as the price spikes to 3 CR.
And we begin with none other than the Indian vice captain Smriti Mandhana.
2:40PM: The logo for the Women’s Premier League has been unveiled by the BCCI President Roger Binny and Secretary Jay Shah.
Teams are setting their tables as we gear up for the first-ever Women’s Premier League auction. Five teams, over 400 players, one big tournament. We wil begin with the Marquee Players first and look at the names here in the 2 sets: Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Ashleigh Gardner, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Hayley Matthews, Ellyse Perry, Shabnim Ismail, Amelia Kerr, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur.
How much can teams spend in the WPL Auction?
About 30 minutes to go for the first-ever WPL auction. Let’s quickly take a look at the teams and their support staff.
GUJARAT GIANTS - Franchise owned by Adani Sportsline
- Head coach: Rachel Haynes
- Bowling coach: Nooshin Al Khadeer
- Batting coach: Tushar Arothe
- Fielding coach: Gavan Twining
- Mentor: Mithali Raj
Talk about a star-studded support staff! The Gujarat Giants lineup off the field is as legendary as it gets.
DELHI CAPITALS- Franchise owned by Delhi Capitals IPL franchise - JSW Group–GMR Group
- Head coach: Jonathan Batty
- Assistant coaches: Hemalatha Kala and Lisa Keightly
- Fielding coach: Biju George
MUMBAI INDIANS - Franchise owned by Mumbai Indians IPL franchise - INDIAWIN SPORTS PVT LTD
- Head coach: Charlotte Edwards
- Mentor and bowling coach: Jhulan Goswami
- Batting coach: Devieka Palshikaar
UP WARRIORZ - Owned by CAPRI GLOBAL HOLDINGS PVT LTD
- Head coach: Jon Lewis
- Assistant coach: Anju Jain
- Bowling coach: Ashley Noffke
- Mentor: Lisa Sthalekar
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: The side is yet to announce its support staff officially. Let’s see if we find out today. Mike Hesson has been seen around the WPL auction venue and we know Vanitha has been a part of RCB’s scouting.
Veda Krishnamurthy, who is herself in the player pool of the auction, thinks teams need a very straightforward strategy when sitting down to choose their sides.
Speaking about the lessons the WPL can learn from the men’s Indian Premier League, Veda Krishnamurthy believes teams should focus on these basic elements.
MEET THE AUCTIONEER: MALLIKA SAGAR
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has roped in Mallika Sagar - a specialist in modern and contemporary Indian art - as the auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. Though this will be her first stint with cricket, Sagar is no stranger to sports auctions. In 2021, she was the auctioneer for the Pro Kabaddi League - becoming the first woman to conduct the auctions in the league. Know more about her here.
WPL AUCTION RESOURCES:
- Players with highest base price in Women’s Premier League auction in Mumbai
- Mallika Sagar roped in as auctioneer
- Women’s Premier League 2023: Full players list
- Smriti Mandhana on takeaways from 2022, Women’s Premier League, importance of nutrition, and more
There are 90 slots to be filled - 30 of which need to be for overseas players - and it needs to be seen what strategy the franchises adapt to fill their rosters.
- 448 cricketers to go under the hammer
- 269 are Indian players
- 179 are overseas players; 19 from Associate nations
AUCTION PREVIEW by Shayan Acharya
The five franchises - Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz - will have to put their thinking caps on when they walk into the Jio World Convention Centre on Monday afternoon for the maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.
Of the five, three franchises are already accustomed to the IPL auction dynamics, whereas the two new entrants - Gujarat Giants, owned by the Adanis, and UP Warriorz, owned by Capri Global - also have a fair understanding of cricket auctions, thanks to their investments in the other overseas leagues.
But this being the first auction of a women’s franchise league, equations are likely to be different as a total of 448 cricketers will go under the hammer - of which 269 are Indians and 179 are overseas (19 of which are from the associate nations).
The five franchises had to put the support staff in place in a really short time and had to ensure that they get the big names on board, but calling it a ‘teething trouble’, the franchises are confident of making the right choices from the auction.
Moving on from an overseas auctioneer - as has been the tradition in the IPL, except for the 2022 edition when Charu Sharma had to step in for Hugh Edmeades, who had fallen ill - the BCCI has roped in Mallika Sagar as the auctioneer for the WPL. A specialist in modern and contemporary Indian art, Sagar had conducted the Pro Kabaddi League auction in 2021 and the Board hopes that with a woman auctioneer at the helm, the auction process would garner more attention among the fans and the audience, who would be watching it live on telephones or via apps.
Where to watch the WPL Auction?
Catch live telecast of the WPL auction on Sports 18. One can also live stream the auction on the JioCinema app.
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