5 most expensive bowlers bought at WPL 2023 Auction

The Women’s Premier League 2023 auction turned out to be a grand affair as several stars of international cricket were sold for a huge amount at the inaugural edition of the premier Women’s T20 competition in India. The auction got off to a buzzing start with the star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana getting sold for a whopping INR 3.4 crore to Royal Challengers Bangalore. The other players who bagged big sums were Harmanpreet Kaur, Ashleigh Gardner, Deepti Sharma, Natalie Sciver and many others.

While the franchises roped in several big batters and all rounders to build a strong squad, they also targeted some talented bowlers to cover all the bases and make a formidable side for WPL 2023. With numerous bowling stars getting ignored during the auction, there were also a few who managed to get their pockets filled with a huge amount of money. On that note, let’s take a look at the top five most expensive bowlers bought at the WPL 2023 Auction:

5. Rajeshwari Gayakwad 

The left-arm spinner was bought at her base price by UP Warriorz. Gayakwad has represented India in 64 ODIs picking up 99 wickets at an average of 20.79 and an economy of 3.63. She has also played 54 T20Is where she has scalped 58 wickets at an average of 19.55  and an economy of 6.23.

The 31-year-old has further played two Tests picking up five wickets at an average of 29. She played for the Trailblazers in the Women's T20 Challenge under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana. The left-arm orthodox bowler recorded her best bowling figures of 3/9 in T20Is against South Africa in Lucknow, March 2021.

Apart from Gayakwad, UP also has star spinners such as Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya in their squad making them an indomitable force in the spin department.