‘Indian wicketkeepers will be in demand’ - Veda Krishnamurthy ahead of WPL 2027 Auction

The TATA WPL 2027 Auction takes centre stage in Kochi on Wednesday, October 28, from 5:30 PM, live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network, as all five teams look to finalise their squads ahead of the fifth edition of the tournament. A total of 146 players will have their names go under the hammer, with 27 slots left to be filled. Some of the biggest names touted to command interest include Indian internationals G Kamalini, Sneh Rana and Sushma Verma, among others, and the Australian trio of Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen and Sophie Molineux.

UP Warriorz (UPW), with eight slots to fill and a purse of Rs 3.75 crore to spend, will be the most active team in the auction. Mumbai Indians (MI) have six slots left to fill; however, they have just Rs 90 lakh left in the purse. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Giants (GG), the three teams that qualified for the playoffs last season, retained most of their core and need to fill only a few slots. Defending champions RCB will have their ace all-rounder Ellyse Perry available for the season and, hence, will be on the lookout for local backups who can help them to a landmark third title.

Speaking on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues: The Dawn of Captain Smriti', Mandhana elaborated on the role of the TATA WPL in identifying players for the future.

“The WPL has been a huge benefit in that we have found quite a few players in the WPL, but now it's our responsibility to figure out how we take them forward and make them into bigger match-winners. We definitely have exciting talent in our team right now. We have eight to nine people aged 19-24, which is pretty exciting. They have all played good cricket during the India A series. We have followed everything, and they have played very good cricket. So now it's on us to take them forward and make them lead the way for India," stated Mandhana.

On the other hand, JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy highlighted that Indian wicketkeepers will be in demand, with at least three teams looking for their first-choice keepers at the auction.

"I think Indian wicketkeepers, especially, will be in demand, with quite a few teams looking for them. There are a couple of domestic players I'm interested in seeing how they go about things in the auction. Of course, Sophie Molineux is a big name to look forward to, given the kind of experience she brings. She's a match-winner and has already won the WPL with RCB."

"It will also be interesting to see how things unfold around G Kamalini and which teams look to acquire her, as she's a wicketkeeper as well. The options and the number of slots available are very limited. Teams know exactly what they're looking for, so it's important for them to filter the names from the available cricketers and identify their options. They need to have at least three or four names for each proficiency because the auction can go in any direction," Krishnamurthy further told JioStar.

The fifth season of the TATA WPL takes place from January 14 to February 7. While four-time finalists Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz aim for their maiden title, RCB and MI will be keen to add to their two titles each as the teams lock in on their squads in Kochi.