WPL teams allowed to retain five players ahead of November mega auction
WPL teams must announce retentions by November 5 ahead of mega auction
6 Min Read
Franchises can retain a maximum of five players ahead of the mega auction for the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The deadline for announcing retentions is November 5, which has been communicated to the teams, while the auction is scheduled between November 25 and 29.
As per an ESPNcricinfo report, the WPL, in an email to franchises on October 9, outlined that each team can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. If a franchise chooses to retain five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player.
For the first time, the WPL will allow franchises to use the right-to-match (RTM) option at the auction to buy back a player from their 2025 squad. The auction purse has been set at INR 15 crore, with guideline prices for retention slabs as follows, Player 1 - INR 3.5 crore, Player 2 - INR 2.5 crore, Player 3 - INR 1.75 crore, Player 4 - INR 1 crore, and Player 5 - INR 50 lakh.
If a franchise retains five players, INR 9.25 crore will be deducted from its purse; four players - INR 8.75 crore; three - INR 7.75 crore; two - INR 6 crore; and one - INR 3.5 crore. A franchise can use a maximum of five RTMs, but retaining five players removes the RTM option. For four retained players, one RTM remains; for three, two RTMs; for two, three RTMs; and for one retained player, four RTMs are available.
Franchises can negotiate amounts different from the guideline prices, but any amount exceeding the slab will be deducted from the auction purse. The minimum price for an uncapped Indian player has been set at INR 50 lakh, though this can be higher based on agreement between the franchise and the player.
The WPL has also announced timelines leading up to the auction. The player retention list must be submitted by November 5, followed by the submission of auction lists by franchises by November 7. The last date for player registration is November 18, with the BCCI set to release the list of players for the mega auction on November 20.
WPL Retention Guidelines for 2026 Mega Auction
| Retention option | Max players retained | RTM available | Purse deducted (INR) | Purse remaining (INR) |
| 1 | 5 | 0 | 9.25 | 5.75 |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 8.75 | 6.25 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 7.75 | 7.25 |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 6.00 | 9.00 |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 3.50 | 11.50 |
| 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15.00 |
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