WPL Auction is a slight distraction for England at the World Cup: Heather Knight

The Women's T20 World Cup is set to begin today and England is in Group B along with formidable nations like India, West Indies, Pakistan, and Ireland. On February 11, they lock horns with West Indies in their first match. Speaking of warm-up matches, in a high-scoring affair, England defeated South Africa in its first official warmup and then defeated New Zealand in its second warmup match by comfortably chasing the target.

Heather Knight, the captain of the England Women's team has also put her name for the coveted auction and has a base price of INR 40 Lakh. Some of her teammates like Sophie Ecclestone, and Natalie Sciver-Brunt, have been put in the higher bracket of INR 50 Lakh. The England Women's team head coach will also be watching the auctions after WPL franchise UP Warriorz appointed her as their head coach.

'It would be naive to think it isn’t a slight distraction' - Knight on her squad's mental aspect

The England skipper, Heather Knight, spoke to the press today about the WPL Auction and how it can be a slight distraction for the team. She stated, "It would be naive to think it isn't a slight distraction. It's on everyone's minds. We have had a chat about it. I think talking about it is a really healthy thing, it doesn't need to be an elephant in the room. How we manage it as individuals is very important."

Furthermore, Knight shed some light on the relevance of the WPL Auction will not change any individual's worth in the England side. "For us as a group, we're going to be really open, talk about it and just see it as a bonus and know that each individual player's worth in the England team will not change depending on what happens. It's something we're having to get used to as cricketers as the landscape changes a lot and more drafts and more options come into the game," Knight added.

The Auction for the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League has been scheduled to take place in Mumbai on February 13, 2023. The city will also be hosting the full tournament as well. 

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