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. 4. Megan Schutt The Royal Challengers Bangalore bought several big names at the auction and created a star-studded squad for WPL 2023. In the final round of the auction, the accelerated auction, they availed the services of the star Australian fast bowler Megan Schutt. They didn’t face competition from any other franchise and bought her at her base price of INR 40 Lakh. It was a steal deal for RCB who had already got big names such as Sophie Devine, Ellysse Perry, Richa Ghosh and many others in their squad. Schutt is the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia in T20Is having scalped 122 wickets in 94 matches at an average of 15.90 and an economy of 6.19. The 30-year-old seamer jointly holds the record for picking four-wicket hauls in two consecutive innings in T20Is. 3. Shabnim Ismail The South African seamer was one of the most sought-after bowlers at the auction. As soon as her name came up, both UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals showed their interest in buying the services of the South African veteran. Starting at a base price of INR 40 lakh, she was eventually sold to UP Warriorz for a massive amount of INR 1 Crore. The 34-year-old is the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Women’s T20Is having picked up 117 wickets in 108 innings at an average of 18.72 and an economy of 5.73. Shabnim Ismail has several records to her name and is one of the finest pacers in the South African side. She will be a key player in UP Warriorz's lineup and will be someone to watchout for. She also jointly holds the record for bowling most maidens in T20IS i.e 20. 2. Renuka Singh The Himachal Pradesh-born seamer is one of India’s rising stars in recent years and expectedly triggered a bidding war during the WPL auction. Three franchises namely Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants were in a neck-to-neck battle to bring the medium-fast bowler into their squad. In the end, it was Royal Challengers Bangalore who won the bid and bought Renuka for a whopping sum of INR 1.5 crore making her the second most expensive bowler sold at the auction. Having made her T20I debut in October 2021, Renuka has quickly risen through the ranks to become the spearhead of the Indian pace attack in no time. She was the leading wicket-taker in the Commonwealth Games 2022 where she scalped 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 9.45 and an economy of 5.47. For her remarkable performances in 2022, she was recently named the ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year. The 27-year-old was also included in the ICC T20I and ODI teams of the year 2022. 1. Sophie Ecclestone There was a huge war at the bidding table to buy the left-arm English spinner as three franchises had their eyes set on her. Gujarat Giants, Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz were in no mood to let go of Ecclestone as a potent spinner is a must-have on Indian pitches. After the bidding war which went on for a few minutes, the 23-year-old was finally sold to UP Warriorz for a whopping amount of INR 1.8 crore making her the costliest bowler bought at the auction. Ecclestone is the third-highest wicket-taker for England in T20Is having picked up 93 wickets in 67 innings at an average of 15.53 and an economy of 5.81. She further holds the record for taking most wickets as LBW in T20Is as she has trapped the batters in front of the stumps on 22 occasions.

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5 most expensive bowlers bought at WPL 2023 Auction

There were also a few bowlers who managed to get their pockets filled with a huge amount of money.

1. Sophie Ecclestone

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