TThere has been a shift in dynamics of player auctions over the years. Instead of solely focusing on star value, teams have started looking to fill the gaps, making smart buys with limited resources at hand.
At the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini auction, held at a plush hotel in the suburbs of Mumbai, five teams had only 30 slots to fill, with an available collective salary cap of ₹17.65 crore. Naturally, one expected them to adopt the ‘horses for courses’ formula while picking their preferred players at relatively affordable prices.
But by the end of it, it was all about two uncapped young Indian players — Kashvee Gautam and Vrinda Dinesh — who stole the limelight by attracting bids of ₹2 crore and ₹1.3 crore from Gujarat Giants and the UP Warriorz, respectively.
Gujarat Giants, which had 10 slots to fill, came into the auction with a purse of ₹5.95 crore, and it did not hesitate in splurging big on young Indian players who had an impressive run in the domestic circuit.
Kashvee — a seam-bowling all-rounder who went unsold in the last edition — made all heads turn. Having represented India A in the recent T20 series against England A, Kashvee impressed with her bowling performances, delivering breakthroughs in crunch moments.
ALSO READ: Gujarat Giants’ priority was buying players who would fit the setup: Mithali Raj
Her 12 wickets at the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy last month earned her a spot in the India A team. Prior to that, she was a part of India’s triumphant Under-23 squad at the ACC Emerging tournament in Hong Kong.
Jonathan Batty (head coach of Delhi Capitals) Mithali Raj (mentor of Gujarat Giants) during the Women’s Premier League player auction held at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences, Mumbai. | Photo Credit: Sportzpics for BCCI
Mithali Raj, former India captain and Gujarat Giants mentor, said, “She (Kashvee) has the possibility of making it to the Indian team. We are also looking ahead by two more seasons and not just restricting to this season. Otherwise, we would have gone for an experienced player.”
“We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we need to release an experienced player again next season. We need to have some players who are young but not very inexperienced.”
ALSO READ: WPL 2024 will be held in one state: BCCI secretary Jay Shah
The parameters, as Mithali pointed out, were quite specific in terms of choosing uncapped talent. “They have performed well in the U-19 World Cup or for India A or in the domestic circuit, so they have some form along with experience. The roles might be a bit different in the WPL, but still, it’s important to get that sort of performance from them,’ she added.
Vrinda Dinesh | Photo Credit: Instagram/ Vrinda Dinesh
Just like Kashvee, Vrinda from Bengaluru has also impressed national selectors and franchises. She received invitations for trials from all the franchises in August, and, eventually, UP Warriorz got her on board. During the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) initiated the bid, but Warriorz escalated the price. In the tricky realm of franchise leagues, young players who secure big-money deals have often struggled. But Vrinda does not want to get carried away by the money. “The price tag is not in my hands,” the 22-year-old opener said. “I just want to give my best. At the end of the day, I am just here to play and enjoy the sport.”
Vrinda, who played for India-A against England-A in the recent T20 series, is happy that she joined a WPL team led by Alyssa Healy, one of her favourite cricketers.
While some of the top international stars like Chamari Athapaththu and Deandra Dottin went unsold, Australia’s all-rounder Annabel Sutherland was the most expensive overseas player, attracting the joint-highest bid of the auction at ₹2 crore.
The Capitals had a purse of ₹2.25 crore coming into the auction and the franchise exhausted most of that money by acquiring Sutherland, who was earlier released by the Giants.
An intense bidding battle unfolded between Mumbai Indians and Delhi, with the latter ultimately sealing the deal. With its core set of players already intact, the Capitals wanted someone who could be multi-skilled. The seasoned Sutherland happened to be the perfect fit.
“The staff wanted Sutherland and the Indian players (Aparna Mondal and Ashwani Kumari). After discussing about it, we eventually got them. The squad has been good since last year, so they are valuable additions,” Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and Delhi Capitals’ director of cricket, said.
The Adani Sportsline-backed Gujarat Giants, having left out half of its squad, had several gaps to fill. It managed to make some smart acquisitions, spending ₹1 crore on Phoebe Litchfield, along with Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Tarannum Pathan, and Veda Krishnamurthy.
Charlotte Edwards (Head Coach of Mumbai Indians) was thrilled to rope Shabnim Ismail into the Mumbai Indians fold | Photo Credit: Sportzpics/BCCI
England’s Danni Wyatt (Warriorz) and Kate Cross (RCB) found takers, while South Africa quick Shabnim Ismail was picked up by Mumbai for ₹1.2 crore.
“The extra pace is something that we wanted. She is one of those players who brings a lot to the group. I’m really excited about having her on board,” Charlotte Edwards, Mumbai’s coach, commented on the inclusion of Ismail.
Among capped Indians, seasoned campaigner Ekta Bisht attracted the highest bid of ₹60 lakh for RCB, while Devika Vaidya did not find any takers.
Mallika Sagar returned as the auctioneer for the WPL 2024 mini auction | Photo Credit: Sportzpics for BCCI
When the auction concluded, the teams appeared satisfied with their overall selections, despite lacking clarity on the tournament’s venue. In line with the inaugural edition, when the state of Maharashtra hosted all the matches (Mumbai and Navi Mumbai), BCCI secretary Jay Shah has mentioned that the upcoming edition would take place in one state again.
READ: Humble beginnings, big dreams: Vrinda Dinesh’s journey to the WPL
However, with no clarity on the preferred state, the franchises proceeded to pick players they believed would perform well in any condition.
“I would say that if it’s a spinning track, then every team would be happy because they are all stacked up with spinners,” said Mithali.
“The question is, on a batting track, how good would those spinners be? How good are your uncapped spinners... It depends on that.”
“In leagues of this nature, you would like to see high scoring games and chases. Therefore, every franchise is looking to gather a top-heavy batting side.”
With the auction over, it’s time for the franchises to wait and watch before finalising their strategies for the tournament, which is expected to begin on February 22.
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