WPL Auction 2026 Live Updates: 277 players to go under the hammer – Check purse size, players to watch out

Delhi Capitals (13 slots available): Rs 5.70 crore

Gujarat Giants (16 slots available): Rs 9 crore

Mumbai Indians (13 slots available): Rs 5.75 crore

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (14 slots available) Rs 6.15 crore

UP Warriorz (17 slots available): Rs 14.50 crore

UP Warriorz come into the auction with a blank canvas and the biggest purse of Rs 14.50 crore. Wooden spoon finish last season has pushed them into reset mode and they’ll be eyeing several marquee names to rebuild their core from the top.

Batting inconsistencies and a misfiring bowling group cost them dearly, so experience, especially among Indian players, will be a prized commodity. With the captaincy seat also vacant, UPW could swing for a proven leader who can shape a fresh identity on the field.

With only two players retained, Gujarat Giants are practically starting from scratch and that means a chance to fix last season’s glaring gaps. Expect them to go all-in on strengthening the lower order and building a more threatening bowling unit, two areas that cost them momentum repeatedly.

A few battle-tested Indian batters are also high on their checklist, giving them the stability they lacked in tight games.

Possible targets for the franchise may be Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Nadine de Klerk, N Sree Charani, Kim Garth and Renuka Singh.

Delhi Capitals are in the hunt for a new tone-setter at the top. With Shafali Verma locked in to swing hard from ball one, they need a solid opening partner, someone who can anchor when required and lead when the game demands. With Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp already handling the pace-allrounder duties, DC are expected to double down on spin power and add experience behind the stumps.

And with Meg Lanning released, Delhi suddenly have a leadership question too. That’s where someone like Alyssa Healy or Laura Wolvaardt becomes doubly valuable in the form of an elite opener and ready-made captaincy option in one package.

The franchise may target players like Laura Wolvaardt, Alyssa Healy, Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Phoebe Litchfield and N Shree Charani in the auction.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will enter the auction with one clear mission – to find a smashing opening partner for skipper Smriti Mandhana to set the tone up top. Alongside that, a serious upgrade in the pace department is expected to be front and centre, with an experienced seamer seen as non-negotiable if RCB want to fix their death-overs woes.

With a solid young core already in place, a couple of world-class bowling picks could be the difference between promise and podium this season.

The franchise may look to bid for Laura Wolvaardt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Renuka Singh, Lauren Bell, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Sophie Ecclestone.

Mumbai Indians already look stacked in the batting department and when you add all-round powerhouses like Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amanjot Kaur, the core is as intimidating as ever. They also have young wicketkeeper Kamalini waiting in the wings but an experienced wicketkeeper will still be high on their wish list to strengthen depth.

Where they’ll hunt aggressively is in the bowling market. A specialist pacer or two and a proven Indian spinner to round out a title-ready attack. Expect MI to have their eyes locked on premium names like Amelia Kerr, Kim Garth, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani, Ayabonga Khaka and Saika Ishaque.

Mamatha Madiwala (Base Price: Rs 10 lakh)

If WPL teams are searching for a wicketkeeper-batter who can hold her nerve under pressure, Mamatha Madiwala’s name will already be circled. The Hyderabad talent made a statement on her India A debut with a calm, commanding 56 off 60 balls*. Madiwala’s innings guided her side to a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in a 2025 World Cup warm-up clash in Bengaluru. Six fours and a cleanly struck maximum showcased not just technique, but intent.

While Shafali Verma’s 49-ball 70 grabbed the early headlines, it was Mamatha who finished the job. Already experienced on the big stage after representing India at the 2023 Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Hong Kong, she now arrives at the auction as a lower-order stabiliser with a keeper’s glove.

Former India captain Anjum Chopra stressed that all-rounder Deepti Sharma’s versatility makes her one of the most valuable picks in this year’s auction, saying, “Gujarat Giants should definitely consider Deepti Sharma in the mega-auction. Delhi Capitals might also target her as an Indian player who strengthens both batting and bowling. UP Warriorz could be the third team interested after Gujarat and Delhi in acquiring her services.”

She also expressed surprise over the Gujarat Giants’ decision to release batter Harleen Deol, who has been a consistent performer for the franchise.

“I am surprised Gujarat Giants released Harleen Deol. She’s a multi-talented Indian player who can also bowl a bit, and I hope she develops her bowling skills further. She’ll command good interest in the auction. Along with Deepti Sharma, she’ll be one Indian player every franchise will target because teams want strong Indian batters and potential leadership options,” Chopra added.

– via IANS

Auction tables are set and the strategies couldn’t look more different. UP Warriorz walk in with the fattest wallet at Rs 14.5 crore, ready to spark bidding wars, while Delhi Capitals must be razor-sharp with just Rs 5.70 crore to play with.

There’s another twist – Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, both retaining five players already and it won’t have the Right to Match card in their pocket. Every bid they lose could sting that much more.

With squads capped between 15 and 18 players, this mega auction becomes a careful balancing act of emerging stars with seasoned match-winners as the WPL gears up for its next big leap.

Deeya Yadav (Base Price: Rs 10 lakh)

If power-hitting is the currency of modern T20 cricket, Deeya Yadav is already rich. The top-order dasher from Haryana has modelled her fearless game on Shafali Verma and it shows every time she steps out swinging.

Deeya turned heads in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 298 runs in just eight innings, averaging 59.5 while striking at 128 — numbers backed by three cracking half-centuries. She then kept her foot firmly on the accelerator in the inter-zonal T20s, smashing 151 runs at a fiery strike rate of 149.5 to help North Zone storm into the final.

But her arrival moment came even earlier. Deeya’s jaw-dropping 213 off 125 balls* in the U-15 Women’s One-Day Trophy in 2023, the kind of innings that instantly puts a young talent on every scout’s radar.

Vaishnavi Sharma (Base Price: Rs 10 lakh)

A hat-trick on the world stage usually grabs attention and Vaishnavi Sharma hasn’t looked back since. The left-arm spinner burst onto the scene during India’s U-19 World Cup triumph in Malaysia earlier this year, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and immediately marking herself as one to watch.

Her rise has only gathered speed. Vaishnavi topped the wicket charts in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 21 wickets in 11 matches, striking at key moments while operating at an impressive economy of 6.47. She carried that form straight into the inter-zonal competition, collecting another 12 scalps in just five outings for Central Zone.

WPL scouts have been tracking her closely and for good reason. With her deceptive pace through the air and sharp turn off the surface, she’s exactly the kind of attacking left-arm spinner franchises love building around.

Teams were handed another curveball at the pre-auction briefing. While Pratika Rawal, Yastika Bhatia and VJ Joshitha are all listed in the WPL auction pool, the trio are currently sidelined with injuries. More importantly, if any franchise decides to take a chance and pick them, they won’t be counted in the mandatory 15-player squad and no replacements will be granted.

Rawal has entered the auction at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, Bhatia at Rs 30 lakh and Joshitha in the Rs 10 lakh bracket.

There’s also a watch-and-wait tag on India pacer Pooja Vastrakar. She isn’t fully fit yet, but unlike the others, she remains auction-ready — with a Rs 50 lakh base price.

Just a day before the WPL’s biggest auction yet, a major name is off the table. Australia’s Jess Jonassen, one of the league’s most decorated performers, has withdrawn while managing a persistent shoulder injury, ESPNCricinfo reported. Her five Player-of-the-Match awards, second only to Harmanpreet Kaur, tell you exactly what the league will be missing.

Ahead of the mega auction, UP Warriorz have retained Shweta Sehrawat (Rs 50 lakh).

Here are the players that Delhi Capitals retained ahead of the mega auction:

Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs 2.2 crore)

Shafali Verma (Rs 2.2 crore)

Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2.2 crore)

Marizanne Kapp (Rs 2.2 crore)

Niki Prasad (Rs 50 lakh)

Here are the players retained by Gujarat Giants ahead of the mega auction:

Ashleigh Gardner (Rs 3.5 crore)

Beth Mooney (Rs 2.5 crore)

Here are the players retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the mega auction:

Smriti Mandhana (Rs 3.5 crore)

Richa Ghosh (Rs 2.75 crore)

Ellyse Perry (Rs 2 crore)

Shreyanka Patil (Rs 60 lakh)

Here are the players retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auction:

Nat-Sciver Brunt (Rs 3.5 crore)

Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs 2.5 crore)

Hayley Matthews (Rs 1.75 crore)

Amanjot Kaur (Rs 1 crore)

G Kamalini (Rs 50 lakh)

The WPL 2026 mega auction will be telecast live on the Star Sports network. Live streaming will be available on JioHotstar website and app. You can also stay tuned here for all latest updates on the mega auction.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as cricket’s newest blockbuster enters its next big chapter. The WPL, which ignited a revolution in Indian women’s cricket, now gears up for its first-ever mega auction. The excitement has only grown since the Women in Blue conquered the 2025 World Cup. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the mega auction.