Gujarat Giants released 11 players ahead of the 2024 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), whereas Delhi Capitals, the runner-up of the inaugural edition, released the least number of players in a bid to keep its core intact.
A total of 60 players, including 21 overseas cricketers, were retained across five franchises, while 29 players were released from their existing squads. While most of the big names were retained by their respective franchises, a few international stars - Annabel Sutherland, Megan Schutt - were released.
Gujarat Giants, which had a forgettable outing in the inaugural edition, decided to go for a overhaul, retaining just eight players Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwer. The Adani Sportsline-owned team now has the maximum purse available at Rs 5.95 crore, whereas Mumbai Indians only has Rs 2.1 crore left in its purse ahead of the auction.
Defending champion Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, kept their core intact and released just four players - Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham, Neelam Bisht and Sonam Yadav.
After the inaugural edition got over in March, all the franchises conducted their trials a few months ago before finalising their retention list. “The franchise organised a couple of off-season camps over the last few months, which has allowed us as a coaching group to have a look at the available talent, and also assess the physical condition and skills of our existing players. We’re hoping for a successful auction going into the new season,” Delhi Capitals assistant coach Hemlata Kala said.
For most franchises, it was about retaining their core and then look at a few new options. For instance, UP Warriorz, which had a long camp in Bengaluru in August, released just four players and decided to continue with the main line-up. “We are really excited about retaining the core of our team that got us to the playoffs of the WPL last year. In all team sport, turnover of personnel is imperative. We value the contributions and efforts of all our players and wish them all the best for the forthcoming seasons. It will be a tougher challenge in WPL 2024 and we are all looking forward to taking up that challenge…”
While teams did not have much of a chance to do scouting ahead of the first season, this time, they appear to be better prepared. “We’ve got a solid squad in place, and will aim to make it more complete at the upcoming auction,” said Capitals’ coach Jonathan Batty.
The tournament is likely to be held in theFebruary- March window next year.
The teams
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Retained Players: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu
Released Players: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris*
Gujarat Giants (GG)
Retained Players: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwer
Released Players: Annabel Sutherland*, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham*, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth*, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley*, Sushma Verma
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Retained Players: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humairaa Kaazi, Isabelle Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia
Released Players: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham*, Neelam Bisht, Sonam Yadav
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Retained Players: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*
Released Players: Dane Van Niekerk*, Erin Burns*, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt*, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar
UP Warriorz (UPW)
Retained Players: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S. Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia Mcgrath*
Released Players: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail*, Shivali Shinde, Simran Shaikh
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