6 months ago
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On November 2, women’s cricket successful India had its red-letter time erstwhile the nationalist squad defeated South Africa to triumph the ODI World Cup for the archetypal time. Before November draws to a close, an accidental to physique connected the warmth of that joyous juncture and propel galore much of India’s women cricketers into the limelight is successful store.
It volition each transpire connected Thursday day erstwhile the Women’s Premier League’s mega auction, up of the 4th variation successful 2026, is held astatine the JW Marriott Hotel successful Aerocity here.
For an action-packed play to unfold, the auction workout connected Thursday — the archetypal large revamp of the 5 teams since the league’s initiation successful 2023 — volition clasp the cardinal arsenic 277 players (194 Indians and 83 overseas) spell nether the hammer for a maximum of 73 slots. The highest basal terms bracket of ₹50 lakh features 19 players, among which six — Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Uma Chetry, Pratika Rawal and Pooja Vastrakar — are Indian. Of this lot, lone Vastrakar wasn’t portion of India’s World Cup-winning squad.
Among the 5 franchises, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants are acceptable to beryllium the busiest. Having retained conscionable the uncapped Shweta Sehrawat for ₹50 lakh, Warriorz person the highest purse of ₹14.5 crore going into the auction. Giants, which retained the Australian brace of Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney, person ₹9 crore successful their kitty.
Two-time champion Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, runner-up successful each 3 seasons, person retained 5 players each. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which won the rubric successful 2024, has besides kept its halfway radical of Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry and Shreyanka Patil.
With recency bias tending to beryllium a origin astatine auctions, the starring performers of the ODI World Cup, though a antithetic white-ball format, are apt to beryllium successful precocious demand. The lawsuit volition footwear disconnected with the marquee acceptable of Deepti, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Amelia Kerr, Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt.
Besides these high-profile names who volition pull bidding wars, it volition beryllium worthy watching retired for left-arm spinner N. Sree Charani (₹30 lakh) and Australian opener Phoebe Litchfield (₹50 lakh).
Charani, a 21-year-old who made her debut for India conscionable six months ago, took 14 scalps successful 9 games astatine the ODI World Cup. Similarly, the 22-year-old Litchfield, earmarked for greatness from her mid-teens, stood retired similar a beacon for Australia successful the World Cup, notably hammering a period against India successful the semis.
Auction time: 3.30 p.m onwards
