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Live

Updated 12 mins ago • Published Today

WPL 2026 auction LIVE - UPW pick Deepti for INR 3.2 crore, Pandey for INR 2.4 crore

By Shashank Kishore and S Sudarshanan

Overview

Big injury update:

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Last player of the evening

Ayushi Soni goes to Giants for 30 lakh to wrap up the WPL 2026 mega auction!
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Rajeshwari Gayakwad to GG

At base price of INR 40 lakh.
Sahana Pawar: Unsold
D Hemalatha: Former GG, goes to RCB for 30 lakh
Sayali Satghare: unsold at 30 lakh
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Minnu Mani - India allrounder

Goes to DC at base price of INR 40 lakh.
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Pratika Rawal: third time lucky

UP-Warriorz get her at 50 lakh. Even though she is touch and go for the upcoming season.
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Danni Wyatt-Hodge: Any takers?

Giants open the bidding at 50 lakh. No other takers. Had a modest season for RCB, didn't play a lot for Warriorz either.
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Final accelerated round?

Let's go.
S Meghana, India batter: No takers at 30 lakh.
Saika Ishaque, India bowler: MI get her back at 30 lakh
Pranavi Chandra, Indian domestic batter: unsold
G Trisha, India Under-19 WC winner: UP Warriorz get her for 10 lakh
Khushi Bhatia, uncapped Indian wicketkeeper: Unsold Pratyusha Kumar, uncapped Indian wicketkeeper: 10 lakh to RCB
Shabnam Shakil, India Under-19 seamer: Unsold
Milly Illingworth, uncapped Australia bowler: 10 lakh to MI
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One more round, possibly

Each team has to submit a maximum of four names each for the last round. A minimum of six slots still to be filled. Only UPW have reached the minimum mark of 15 players in their squad.
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Nalla Reddy to MI

Seam-bowling allrounder will play for MI after they select her at base price of INR 10 lakh
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Ayushi Shukla - no takers

The allrounder asks for INR 10 lakh, finds no bids
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Gautami Naik to RCB

Maharashtra offspin allrounder asks for INR 10 lakh, RCB select her at base price
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Pragati Singh - no takers

Asks for INR 10 lakh, no bids found
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Triveni Vasistha to play for MI

The 18-year-old Haryana allrounder asks for INR 20 lakh, MI select her at base price
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Suman Meena to UPW

Asks for INR 10 lakh, UPW are the only bidders. She is a seam-bowling allrounder
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Issy Wong - no bids

The England quick who played for MI finds no takers for INR 30 lakh
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Chloe Tryon to UPW

Three seasons with MI, the South Africa allrounder asks for INR 30 lakh. UPW select her at base price
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Lucy Hamilton will play for DC

The left-arm quick from Australia is picked by DC for INR 10 lakh
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Vaishnavi Sharma - No bids

Left-arm spinner asks for INR 10 lakh, no bids
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Gargi Lonkar - no takers

No bids for her at INR 10 lakh
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Sayali Satghare - no teams

The India and Mumbai allrounder asks for INR 30 lakh. No bids
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Ashwani Kumari - no bids

Asks for INR 10 lakh, no bids
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Tara Norris to UPW

The USA left-arm quick asks for INR 10 lakh. UPW select her at base price. UPW can play five overseas in the XI now
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No bids for Alice Capsey

The England allrounder asks for INR 30 lakh, no takers
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Saima Thakor remains without a team

The India and Mumbai quick asks for INR 30 lakh, no bids
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Shanu Sen - no takers

INR 10 lakh, finds no bids
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Shivani Singh to GG

The HP wicketkeeper asks for INR 10 lakh. GG are the only bidder and they get her.
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Sahana Pawar remains without a team

The left-arm spinner asks for INR 10 lakh. Finds no bids.
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Nazma Khan gets no bids

The Delhi spinner asks for INR 10 lakh. No takers
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Poonam Khemnar will don MI colours

The allrounder asks for INR 10 lakh. MI bid for her and get her
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No takers for Rajeshwari Gayakwad

The left-arm spinner asks for INR 40 lakh, met with silence in the auction room.
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Simran Shaikh to play for UPW

Asks for INR 10 lakh. UPW jump in immediately for the hard-hitting batter. They are the only bidders. GG don't exercise their RTM and UPW get her
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Pratika Rawal - no takers

The India opener asks for INR 50 lakh. She suffered an ankle injury during the World Cup. Could be touch and go for WPL 2026, and she finds no takers
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Yastika Bhatia to play for GG

The India wicketkeeper asks for INR 30 lakh. She underwent an ACL surgery last month. Will she be fit for WPL 2026?
GG start the bidding war and UPW jump in as well. GG manage to select her for INR 50 lakh
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Kim Garth to GG

The Australia allrounder is back. GG bid for her and get her back. She played for GG in WPL 2023, and they get her at INR 50 lakh
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Nandini Sharma to DC

DC jump in and swoop her at her base price of INR 10 lakh
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No team for Heather Knight

Former England captain asks for INR 50 lakh. Silence in the room
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No bids for Milly Illingworth

The slingy Australia fast bowler asks for INR 10 lakh. No bidders again
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Happy Kumari will play for GG

The fast bowler asks for INR 10 lakh. GG bid for her and select her at base price
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Mamatha Madiwala picked for DC

Delhi Capitals start the bid for the wicketkeeper. They get her at her base price INR 10 lakh
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Jintimani Kalita - no bids

The Assam allrounder finds no takers again for INR 10 lakh
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Shipra Giri will play for UPW

The wicketkeeper gets UPW's interest and they get her for INR 10 lakh
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Vrinda Dinesh - no takers

The Karnataka batter asks for INR 10 lakh. Played for UPW last year but no bids again
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Humaira Kazi - no bids

Top run-scorer for Mumbai in the domestic T20s, no takers at INR 10 lakh.
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Australia's Darcie Brown finds no takers

INR 30 lakh is her base price. Can crank up the speed gun. Can't crank up the auction room tonight, remains without a WPL team.
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Alana King - no WPL team

INR 40 lakh but no bids for the Australia legspinner aqain!
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Amy Jones - no bids

Asks for INR 50 lakh. She is back in the second accelerated round. No one shows interest, she finds no takers
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Grace Harris goes to RCB

UP Warriors jump in this time - base price of INR 30 lakh. RCB join the bidding. It quickly zooms to INR 65 lakh.
RCB further rise it to INR 75 lakh. And Harris will play under Mandhana at WPL 2026
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S Meghana - no takers again

Second accelerated round starts. S Meghana - INR 30 lakh - no bids
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Another accelerated round coming up...

There are a maximum of 33 slots yet to be filled. The purse left is INR 6.85 crore. MI and RCB have only INR 80 lakh each remaining. While MI need to fill at least five slots, RCB need at least four more players.
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Time for a break

Teams have now been asked to nominate 10 names each as we will move into the next set of accelerated auctions after a short breather.
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RCB star Georgia Wareham: Goes to GG

Opening bid of 50 lakh is made by Giants.
RCB say they want her too, so there's interest from to teams.
Giants have the bid at 60 lakh. RCB in deep discussion, with a purse of just 1.25 crore remaining. But they raise the paddle to make the bid for 65 lakh.
RCB take it to 95 lakh, which means they will only have 30 lakh left.
Giants have a budget of 4 crore left, and confidently raise the paddle to 1 crore. And they get her.
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Next set: a mixed bag

Australian Courtney Webb: Unsold
USA's Tara Norris: Former DC. No bidders. Unsold
Indian allrounder Anushka Sharma: MI, GG, RCB all keen. Giants get her for 45 lakh
Indian wicketkeeper Shivani Shinde: Unsold
Australia allrounder Heather Graham: Unsold
India batter Tejal Hasabnis: unsold Australia allrounder Nicola Carey: MI at 30 lakh
Bangladesh allrounder Rabeya Khan: Unsold
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Saloni Dangore: CPL star unsold, Kanwer back to Giants

Unsold despite a decent performance. 10 lakh was her asking price
Laura Harris, Australia allrounder: Unsold
Poonam Khemnar, India legspinner, former RCB: Unsold
Rahila Firdous, wicketkeeper: MI at 10 lakh
UAE star wicketkeeper Theertha Satish: Unsold
Komal Zanzad, Vidarbha pacer: Unsold
Sahana Pawar, spinner: Unsold
Kanika Ahuja, India and RCB allrounder: Giants for INR 30 lakh.
Tanuja Kanwar, India left-arm spinner: DC and GG raise the paddle tot take the bid to 45 lakh. Giants get her for that price.
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Who's the next big buy?

Taniyaa Bhatia, India keeper: DC for 30 lakh
Nuzhat Parween, India keeper : Unsold
Marufa Akter, Bangladesh pacer: Asking price 30 lakh. Unsold
Lea Tahuhu, NZ pacer: Asking price 30 lakh. Unsold
Eden Carsen, NZ off spinner: 30 lakh price. Unsold again
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, India left-arm spinner : Unsold
Fran Jonas, NZ seamer: Unsold
Shuchi Upadhyay, India spinner: Unsold
Incidentally, Upadhyay was picked ahead of Shree Charani in India's squad.
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Will injury-prone Vastrakar get bids?

She's injured and may not play the season, but clearly RCB and UP-W don't see that to be a problem.
She's currently in rehab at the Centre of Excellence. Missed WPL 2025 due to a stress injury, and hasn't played for India for more than a year.
Goes to RCB for 85 lakh!
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Sajana back with MI

Sajana Sajeevan: MI and UP-W keep bidding. MI seem keen on getting her back. And it looks like she will be back with them. 75 lakh is the winning price
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Arundhati Reddy: WC winner

DC come straight in at 30 lakh, she played for them from 2023-2025. Will she stay with them?
RCB bid for her as well, so she's got two teams going for her.
Oh, wait. A third team comes in. Giants. The bid jumps to 75 lakhs with RCB. Giants are out, and she joins good friend Mandhana and Radha in red and gold.
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Shikha Pandey: Massive bidding war

UPW and RCB tussling. Bid zooms to 75 lakh in no time.
No sign of her former team, DC, jumping in yet. The bid jumps to 1 crore but RCB are going all guns blazing.
RCB and Warriorz take the bid to 1.7 crore.
A proven performer, terrific work ethic. Great body of work in domestic cricket. Hasn't played internationals for three years now, but clearly that hasn't dimmed her value.
RCB have taken the bid to 2 crore. But that's not the last of it.
The bid is now at 2.2 crore!
It's at this point that the Warriorz are thinking, taking their time and guess what....they make it 2.4!
UP-W get her for 2.4 crore
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Minnu Mani: former DC. Where will she go?

Capped player. Asking price of 40 lakh. A handy allrounder. But no one raises the paddle. She goes unsold.
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Kim Garth up next

No takers. Former Giants player goes unsold.
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Kashvee Gautam: from GG to GG

MI open bidding at 30 lakh.
UP say 35. MI jump back in. She was among the highest paid domestic buys last time around, and is attracting more than her fair share of attention.
Warriorz have the bid at 65 lakh. Will she touch a crore again?
GG have chosen to exercise their RTM. So the ball is in UP's court. Their bid stays, GG accept and Kashvee goes back to Giants.
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Deandra Dottin: 50 lakh, any takers?

UP Warriorz make the opening bid at 50 lakh. RCB raise the paddle, and there's a battle between the two. The bid zooms up to 80 lakh and is with the Warriorz.
RCB ask for some time. They're out. She goes to UP Warriorz for 80 lakh.
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Accelerated round begins

Sneha Deepti, former DC batter: Unsold.
Mona Meshram, India batter: Unsold
Priya Punia, India batter: Unsold
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11 sets done, accelerated round next

Two and a half hours into the auction, 27 slots of the 73 have been filled so far. There are a maximum of 46 spots still up for grabs. Let's look at the squads thus far:
Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Deeya Yadav
Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Bharti Fulmali, Titas Sadhu
Mumbai Indians (MI): Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat
UP Warriorz (UPW): Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Asha Sobhana
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Malolan Rangarajan on RCB’s English flavour

On Shrubsole influence, getting Bell and Smith (Eng players):
"Anya is someone we've wanted on board for a while now. For all the Indians, I will have to unfortunately remind everyone of the 2017 tragic ... [jokes apart]. We've been working with Anya for the last couple of weeks planning our retentions and auctions. It's a coincidence that we have Anya, Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith, no untowards connections there. It was a clear battle between MI and us for the pacer. Anya brings a wealth of experience having played for England successfully and also captained franchises and teams around the world who are doing well. You can see the level of calm and intel she brings on board. Can't put it into words, but she's been brilliant so far and she'll be even better in the tournament."
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Set 11 - Uncapped spinners

Prakashika Naik - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Bharti Rawal - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Priyanka Koushal - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Parunika Sisodia - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Jagravi Pawar - INR 10 lakh - no bids
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Set 10 - Uncapped fast bowlers

Happy Kumari - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Nandini Sharma - INR 20 lakh - no takers
Komalpreet Kour - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Milly Illingworth - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Shabnam Shakil - INR 10 lakh - played for GG last season, no takers for now
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Uncapped wicketkeepers next

Shipra Giri - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Mamatha Madiwala - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Khushi Bhatia - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Prathyoosha Kumar - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Nandini Kashyap - INR 10 lakh - no bids
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Uncapped allrounders are next

Humaira Kaazi - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Sanskriti Gupta - INR 20 lakh - MI get her back at base price
Prema Rawat - INR 10 lakh - GG start the bidding and are the only bidders. But RCB want to use the RTM on her. GG raise the amount to INR 20 lakh and RCB raise the RTM card to get her
Amandeep Kaur - INR 20 lakh - No takers
G Trisha - INR 10 lakh - No bids
Jintimani Kalita - INR 10 lakh - No bids
S Yashasri - INR 10 lakh - no bids
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Uncapped batters next

Pranavi Chandra - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Davina Perrin from England - INR 20 lakh - no bids
Vrinda Dinesh - INR 10 lakh - no interest in the room
Disha Kasat - INR 10 lakh - no bids
Arushi Goel - INR 10 lakh - no takers
Deeya Yadav - INR 10 lakh - DC open the bidding. And DC are the only bidders. She is just 16
Sanika Chalke - INR 10 lakh - no takers
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How the squads look after Set 6

MI's tactics seem to be centred around getting the successful core back together. Two titles in three seasons makes you want to do that. They have selected just the two players - Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail - so far. As expected, UPW and GG have been the busiest teams.
Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee
Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Bharti Fulmali, Titas Sadhu
Mumbai Indians (MI): Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith
UP Warriorz (UPW): Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Asha Sobhana
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Alana King finds no takers for now

A superb seven-for in the World Cup. Asks for INR 40 lakh. No bids, though.
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Asha Sobhana is a UP Warrior!

India's legspinner asks for INR 30 lakh.
DC start the bidding. UPW raise it to INR 35 lakh
DC and UPW engage in a fierce tussle.
RCB come in at INR 60 lakh and the price zooms up to INR 1 crore. UPW raise it further to INR 1.1 crore.
Asha will don the yellow and purple!
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No bids for Saika Ishaque

The Bengal and India left-arm spinner asks for INR 30 lakh. Finds no interest in the room.
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Amanda-Jade Wellington, no takers

INR 30 lakh is what the Australia legspinner asks. No takers for her
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Linsey Smith to RCB

England's left-arm spinner asks for INR 30 lakh. Did well with the new ball at the World Cup.
RCB are the only bidder and they get her at base price
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No takers for Priya Mishra

Priya Mishra first up. The legspinner asks for INR 30 lakh. No bids
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Titas Sadhu to GG

The India fast bowler played for DC in the last two years. Asks for INR 30 lakh
Gujarat Giants bid for her. That is the only bid
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Lauren Cheatle finds no bids

Australia's left-arm quick is next. INR 30 lakh is what she asks for. She played for GG in 2024. No bids for now.
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Shabnim Ismail back to MI

MI raise the paddle for her before the auctioneer can read out the player's name. Asking price is INR 40 lakh.
GG showed interest but did not bid. RCB then came in and MI raised it further.
Ismail is a Mumbai Indian again at INR 60 lakh
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Kranti Gaud back to UPW

India's World Cup winner asks for INR 50 lakh. Played for UPW last year
DC start the bidding, albeit a bit belatedly. And that is the only bid.
UPW exercise the RTM and it goes back to DC. DC don't raise it and so UPW get their fast bowler back at base price. UPW have now exhausted all their RTMs.
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Darcie Brown

Australia fast bowler finds no takers at INR 30 lakh
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Lauren Bell to RCB

England's tall fast bowler is first in the fast bowlers' set. Asks for INR 30 lakh
RCB open the bidding, MI raise it to INR 35 lakh.
She can hit the deck as well as swing the ball both ways. You can read more about her here.
MI and RCB take it up to INR 90 lakh before MI back out.
Bell will play under former Southern Brave team-mate Mandhana at RCB
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Uma Chetry finds no takers

The wicketkeeper who was part of India's World Cup campaign asks for INR 50 lakh. No takers for the Assam player for now
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Lizelle Lee goes to DC

Former South Africa opener and wicketkeeper asks for INR 30 lakh.
DC swoop in. Sarah Bryce and Taniya Bhatia were their keepers last season. They get Lee for INR 30 lakh
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Amy Jones finds no takers

England's wicketkeeper next, asks for INR 50 lakh. Scored a half-century for Melbourne Stars in the WBBL yesterday. No bids for her
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No takers for Isabella Gaze

New Zealand's wicketkeeper has a base price of INR 40 lakh. Can hit hard lower down the order but finds no takers.
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Wicketkeepers, spinners and fast bowlers up next

Wicketkeepers Lizelle Lee, Isabella Gaze, Uma Chetry, quicks Lauren Bell, Shabnim Ismail, Darcie Brown and spinners Alana King, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Asha Sobhana among those in the next three sets
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RTM status update

UP Warriorz had four right to match (RTM) cards before the auction began. They have used three of those for Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone and Kiran Navgire. They have one more left after they didn't choose to use the RTM for Chinelle Henry.
Gujarat Giants came into the auction with three RTMs. They used one for Bharti Fulmali and have two more left, which they can use only on Indian players.
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Three sets done

Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana
Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Bharti Fulmali
Mumbai Indians (MI): Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Amelia Kerr
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav
UP Warriorz (UPW): Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol
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Harleen Deol to UPW

A top-order bat, listed as allrounder with an asking price of INR 50 lakh.
UPW raise the paddle immediately. And UPW get her but GG have the option of RTM, they don't exercise it.
Deol will play for UPW
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5

Radha Yadav will play for RCB

The India allrounder has an asking price of INR 30 lakh
GG start the bid, RCB join in. They raise it to INR 65 lakh
Radha will play under Smriti Mandhana for RCB
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Sneh Rana for DC

Asking price of INR 30 lakh.
DC jump in vert late, UPW join the race.
DC raise the bid to INR 50 lakh and she will play for them!
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6

Nadine de Klerk: big bids?

Giants ask for time.
The South African allrounder had an outstanding World Cup campaign. Played some match-turning knocks in the lower middle order.
Played with RCB in 2024, MI in 2025.
Giants eventually make the opening bid at 30 lakh.
RCB swoop in and have the current bid at 65 lakh.
She was about to be sealed at 55 lakh before DC jumped in to make the next bid.
RCB are firm in getting her, and they do at 65 lakh
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Shree Charani to DC for 1.3 crore

Formerly with DC. Current MI coach Lisa Keightley was effusive in her praise for her. Will be very surprised if MI don't go all out to get her.
Warriorz make the first bid at 30 lakh. DC, her first WPL team, join them with bids. The smiles in the MI camp makes me think they're upto something. Maybe they'll swoop in late?
UP-DC keep going, bid is now at 75 lakh.
Warriorz are out for now, DC with the bid.
Nope, nope. Late change of heart. Warriorz are back in it as they take it to 90 lakh.
DC jump back in and have the current bid at 1.3 crore. And that's the winning bid. No question of RTM since she played for them in 2025.
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3

Chinelle Henry to DC at INR 1.3 crore

Played a handful of games for UP after coming in as a mid-season replacement.
RCB and DC make the first two bids as her price jumps quickly from 30 lakh to 60 lakh.
She currently has a bid for INR 1.2 crore by RCB. Just as hammer is about to come down, DC swoop in to make a bid for INR 1.3 crore.
Warriorz thinking....and they will not exercise their RTM.
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11

Grace Harris: the Australia allrounder

Bids start at 30 lakh.
Explosive batter capable of batting anywhere in the order.
Has had her fair share of injuries. Which may explain the muted approach.
Gujarat seemed keen, but for now she'll remain unsold.
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Kiran Navgire back with UPW

Bids from 40 lakh.
RCB start the bidding again. UP want to RTM, so RCB will have to up their offer, sorry, can't get her at base price!
UP accept RCB's upped price of 60 lakh. So she's back to the team she played for.
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Voll: RCB's first buy

Another top-order batter who will attract significant interest, me thinks.
RCB?
40 lakh is her asking price. I refuse to believe that's how it'll remain.
And yes, RCB make the opening bid for 40 lakh. And they get her. Will UP Warriorz opt for the RTM? They're thinking.....and they will exercise it.
RCB make a final offer of INR 60 lakh. Warriorz are out.
Voll will likely partner Mandhana at the top of the order for the 2024 champs
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Litchfield to UPW at 1.2 crore

Fearlessness is her USP. Capable of hitting from get-go. Played for Giants. Will they get her back?
She starts at 50 lakh.
UP Warriorz, the busiest of the lot, make the opening bid. RCB come in at 55 lakh but UP quickly jump back in.
The two keep tussling, RCB need an opener to partner Mandhana. Clearly they don't seem to have an issue with two left-handers up top.
RCB raise the paddle to 1.1 crore, Warriorz hold the bid at 1.2 crore. And they win the bid.
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Tazmin Brits next

South Africa's opener has a base price of INR 30 lakh.
Silence for now. But hey, she could be back for the accelerated round.
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Bharti Fulmali back to GG

A clean-hitting batter who played for GG. Base price for INR 30 lakh. GG come in at base price. MI raise it to INR 35 lakh.
UP Warriorz raise it but MI increase it to INR 45 lakh. GG exercise the RTM option. MI raise it to INR 70 lakh, GG accept it!
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S Meghana finds no takers

Played for RCB last year. No bidders for now
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Litchfield, Navgire, Sree Charani up next...

Sets 2 and 3 coming up. Capped batters and capped allrounders next.
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MI go big for Melie

52 The percentage of their purse Mumbai Indians used to get back Amelie Kerr
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Time for a breather

We'll have a 10-minute break before we go into set two.
Frenetic stuff already. Sophie Ecclestone the big steal for me in that first set. Who would've thought she'd go below 1 crore?
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Wolvaardt to DC at 1.1 crore

Last player in the marquee set. Her asking price is INR 30 lakh. Played for the Giants in the first three seasons.
Is anyone interested?
Yes say RCB! But DC ain't letting them walk away with a steal. The two alternate as the price zooms to INR 85 lakh with DC.
RCB come back to make a bid to take it to 90 lakh. DC are out, and RCB get the South African captain.
Mandhana and Wolvaardt the openers?
Oh, no! Wait. DC are back to take the bid to 1.1 crore.
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Lanning to UPW for 1.9 crore

Led DC to three finals. In great form in the ongoing WBBL. Will she find takers?
Asking price: 50 lakh. And DC raise the paddle, UP Warriorz come in. And there's quickly a tussle between the two.
The price tag crosses 1 crore and is with Delhi Capitals
She was signed for 1.1 crore in WPL 2023. So she's already earned a big raise. Capitals raise the bid to 1.6, Warriorz come back in with 1.7 crore.
The current big is for INR 1.9 crore is with UP Warriorz. A near 100% raise from her previous winning bid.
Looks like DC are out, Warriorz may have signed a new captain!
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Sophie Ecclestone to UPW for 85 lakh

Touted by many to be the most-expensive pick.
RCB make the opening bid for INR 50 lakh.
A gun left-arm spinner, explosive lower-order batter.
RCB and DC in a tug-of-war for her services. UP Warriorz sit still, watching the fun unfold. Remember they'll have an RTM card if they want.
DC have the bid at INR 85 lakh, looks like they've got her for an absolute steal. But hey, for the second time, UP Warriorz have said they'll RTM.
The ball is now in DC's court to make an offer. They'll stick to 85 lakh, UP Warriorz are all too happy to get her back
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Renuka Singh to Giants for 60 lakh

Strike bowler with the new ball, but has been injury prone. She comes at INR 40 lakh.
Will RCB make a bid?
For now, there's a studied silence before Giants come in. Warriorz jump in at 45 lakh.
Giants have the bid at 60 lakh. UP are out, none of the others jump in.
That's the closing bid.
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Melie Kerr to MI for INR 3 crore

Part of two championship winning Mumbai Indians squads.
UP Warriorz and MI tussling for her as her bid quickly zooms to 90 lakh.
She quickly breaches the 1.7 crore mark as both teams go toe-to-toe.
Melie Kerr was signed for INR 1 crore in WPL 2023. Her current bid with MI is for INR 3 crore.
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Next up: Deepti Sharma to UPW at 3.2 crore

Player of the tournament at the World Cup earlier this month. Led UP Warriorz in Alyssa Healy's absence in WPL 2025.
Will they raise the paddle for her? Bids start at INR 50 lakh.
Delhi Capitals make the opening bid. And that's the closing bid. Oh, no. Wait. Warriorz have used the RTM!
The ball is in DC's court: will they up their bid?
Yes, DC up it to 3.2 crore.
Warriorz released her for a reason, but they've got her back by matching that bid via RTM.
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Sophie Devine to GG at 2 crore

Missed WPL 2025 due to a mental health break following NZ's T20 WC win.
Gujarat Giants open the bidding for her at INR 50 lakh. RCB, her current team, come in at 55. And there's a back-and-forth between the two.
The bid zooms to INR 90 lakh.
RCB are seemingly keen to bring their star allrounder back. Are they looking at her as Mandhana's opening partner again?
Giants aren't giving up. They raise the bid that takes her price to INR 1 crore as bidding hits pause.
RCB are thinking.....but Delhi Capitals enter at INR 1.1 crore.
Giants are thinking, and then raise the paddle to 1.2. Jindal is having none of it, goes to 1.3 crore.
It must be closer to midnight in Wellington, wonder if Sophie is awake and watching this. Three teams going hammer and tongs for her.
Giants have the bid at 2 crore. DC say they're out.
And it looks like the winning bid. Sophie Devine will play for Gujarat Giants at INR 2 crore.
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13

Alyssa Healy: Unsold (for now)

First up is Alyssa Healy.
She was bought for INR 70 lakh by UP Warriorz in 2023.
Has struggled with fitness issues since last year’s T20 WC, but pedigree unquestionable. Had an excellent World Cup with the bat; not so much with the gloves. Has struggled for rhythm in the ongoing WBBL.
Opening bid: INR 50 lakh. But no one raises the paddle. Goes unsold for the moment.
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63

Dates & venue announced

Fourth edition will start on January 9
Final: February 5
Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai and Vadodara
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The owners are ready, are you?

Can see a massive contingent from DC, headed by Parth Jindal & Sourav Ganguly.
Harmanpreet Kaur at the MI table, alongside Jhulan Goswami, new coach Lisa Keightley, Nita Ambani & Akash Ambani.
New UP Warriorz coach Abhishek Nayar has a studious look, alongside Lisa Sthalekar.
Pravin Tambe & Michael Klinger on the Giants table
A new member on the RCB table: former England seamer and world champion Anya Shrubsole
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WPL says 'rules are rules'

Nagraj Gollapudi with an auction update: It is understood at the pre-auction briefing some of the franchises made a request for the accelerated round to start after Set 13 (after player 82). but WPL has stuck to its original stance. The accelerated round will start from Set 11 (from player 68).
Some of the players listed from 68-82: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Deandra Dottin, Heather Knight.
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Which country has the most players in the auction pool?

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Players in the marquee set

The auction will kick off with the marquee set that has eight players. Teams would love to have explosive and experienced openers. Allrounders who can bowl spin will also be in demand. A gun legspinner who can bat anywhere in the line-up is priceless. A fast bowler who can swing the new ball? What do you think?
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Abhishek Nayar, UPW head coach, speaks

It's a strange one. You have the money. You have the advantage of picking the players you want. But other teams can push you there and make you burn your purse. [On retention strategy] The last three years haven't been what we wanted it to be like. We wanted to change the outlook of the franchise. Idea is to try and pick players and win the championship. We thought Shweta Sehrawat could go for big money, so retained her and saved some money in the kitty.
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What is happening at ground zero?

Daya Sagar, our reporter in Delhi: "There is still one hour left for the auction to start, but all the teams are fully prepared for it. The owners and coaching staff of all teams have started arriving at JW Marriott Hotel in Delhi’s Aerocity area. Broadcasters are also ready and the pre-auction interviews have begun. At the moment, Mumbai Indians’ mentor Jhulan Goswami is giving an interview. There is a lot of excitement in the atmosphere and it is going to be a great evening. There are high expectations from this WPL auction, which is happening soon after India won the Women’s World Cup. Through this auction, we will get to see not only famous players but also those players who have performed well in domestic cricket."
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All you need to know

  • There were 277 players in the auction pool before Jess Jonassen pulled out because of injury. Out of the remaining 276, 82 are overseas and 194 are Indians. Hemant Brar has us covered with all we need to know about the auction.
  • Sruthi Ravindranath runs the rule over what each team has and which players they would look to target and what they need.
  • Shashank Kishore looks at a few Indian players, outside of the usual suspects, who could fetch big sums at the auction today.
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    Have your say

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    Another milestone for the WPL

    Three years ago, women's cricket in India stepped into an unknown with a franchise tournament of its own. The Women's Premier League was born and the circumstances might not have be ideal when the first auction rolled in. The Women's T20 World Cup 2023 was on and the auction was held right in the middle of that - albeit in a different country. Three seasons of the WPL followed with five teams. Mumbai Indians, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the title twice with the Meg Lanning-captained Delhi Capitals finishing runners-up every single time.
    Today marks a new chapter for the WPL. It is the first mega auction with 276 players vying for the 73 available spots. Teams finalised their retentions earlier this month and here's how the squads look right now:
    Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad
    Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney
    Mumbai Indians (MI): Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini
    Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry
    UP Warriorz (UPW): Shweta Sehrawat
    Let's follow the journey of team-building for WPL 2026 together, shall we?
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    Let's go to Delhi

    It's the first mega auction for the WPL since it started three years ago. And what do we have here: INR 41.10 crore to be spent, 276 players to go under the hammer, 73 slots to fill, and five squads to formalise for the next WPL season starting in early January.
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