The preparations for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League have been in full swing as the auction of the Women’s T20 extravaganza was held on 13th February (Monday). The tournament will feature five franchises namely Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz.
These five teams will be seen competing in the tournament to win the inaugural edition of WPL which is expected to revolutionize women’s cricket in the world. The WPL schedule for the inaugural edition is also out with the tournament set to be entirely held in Mumbai from March 4 to March 26. A total of 22 matches will be played throughout the tournament which will be held across two stadiums- the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium.
Star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player in the auction as she was bought for a whopping INR 3.4 crore by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Apart from Mandhana, Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner and England’s all-rounder Natalie Sciver-Brunt were sold for INR 3.2 crore each to Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians respectively.
More than 400 players were shortlisted in the final auction list as all five franchises built strong squads with an aim to win the inaugural edition of WPL. With all the franchises having several big names in their teams, it will be interesting to see which team tops the WPL points table to make it to the playoffs in the first edition of the tournament.
Earlier, the BCCI got a whopping INR 4,669.99 crore as the collective bid when five firms acquired the WPL franchises. The broadcast rights for the premier women’s T20 tournament were sold to Viacom 18 for a massive amount of Rs 951 crore. The five-year deal will see the world’s richest cricket board earning INR 7 crore per match of the Women’s Premier League.
With the squads finalized and the schedule announced, the excitement for the Women’s Premier League is palpable. Fans will be eagerly waiting to see their favorite female cricketers light up the tournament with their scintillating shots, unplayable deliveries, and breathtaking catches.
| Player Name | Role | Price Details |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | Batter | 1.8 crore |
| Nat Sciver | All-rounder | 3.2 crore |
| Amelia Kerr | All-rounder | 1 crore |
| Pooja Vastrakar | All-rounder | 1.9 crore |
| Yastika Bhatia | Wicket-keeper | 1.5 crore |
| Heather Graham | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Isabelle Wong | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Amanjot Kaur | All-rounder | 50 lakh |
| Dhara Gujjar | Batter | 10 lakh |
| Saika Ishaque | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Hayley Matthews | All-rounder | 40 lakh |
| Chloe Tryon | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Humairaa Kaazi | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Priyanka Bala | Batter | 20 lakh |
| Sonam Yadav | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Jintamani Kalita | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Neelam Bisht | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Player Name | Role | Price Details |
| Smriti Mandhana | Batter | 3.4 crore |
| Sophie Devine | All-rounder | 50 lakh |
| Ellyse Perry | All-rounder | 1.7 crore |
| Renuka Singh | Bowler | 1.5 crore |
| Richa Ghosh | Wicket-keeper | 1.9 crore |
| Erin Burns | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Disha Kasat | Batter | 10 lakh |
| Indrani Roy | Wicket-keeper | 10 lakh |
| Shreyanka Patil | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Kanika Ahuja | All-rounder | 35 lakh |
| Asha Shobana | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Heather Knight | All-rounder | 40 lakh |
| Dane van Niekerk | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Preeti Bose | Bowler | 30 lakh |
| Poonam Khemnar | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Komal Zanzad | Bowler | 25 lakh |
| Megan Schutt | Bowler | 40 lakh |
| Sahana Pawar | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Player Name | Role | Price Details |
| Ashleigh Gardner | All-rounder | 3.2 crore |
| Laura Wolvaardt | Batter | 2 crore |
| Sophia Dunkley | Batter | 60 lakh |
| Annabel Sutherland | All-rounder | 70 lakh |
| Harleen Deol | All-rounder | 40 lakh |
| Deandra Dottin | All-rounder | 60 lakh |
| Sneh Rana | All-rounder | 75 lakh |
| Sabbineni Meghana | Batter | 30 lakh |
| Georgia Wareham | All-rounder | 75 lakh |
| Mansi Joshi | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Dayalan Hemalatha | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Monica Patel | Bowler | 30 lakh |
| Tanuja Kanwer | All-rounder | 50 lakh |
| Sushma Verma | Wicket-keeper | 60 lakh |
| Hurley Gala | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Ashwani Kumari | All-rounder | 35 lakh |
| Parunika Sisodia | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Shabnam Shakil | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Player Name | Role | Price Details |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | Batter | 2.2 crore |
| Meg Lanning | Batter | 1.1 crore |
| Shafali Verma | Batter | 2 crore |
| Radha Yadav | All-rounder | 40 lakh |
| Shikha Pandey | All-rounder | 60 lakh |
| Marizanne Kapp | All-rounder | 1.5 crore |
| Titas Sadhu | Bowler | 25 lakh |
| Alice Capsey | All-rounder | 75 lakh |
| Tara Norris | Bowler | 10 lakh |
| Laura Harris | Batter | 45 lakh |
| Jasia Akhter | Batter | 20 lakh |
| Minnu Mani | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Taniyaa Bhatia | Wicket-keeper | 30 lakh |
| Poonam Yadav | Bowler | 30 lakh |
| Jess Jonassen | All-rounder | 50 lakh |
| Sneha Deepthi | Batter | 30 lakh |
| Arundhati Reddy | All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Aparna Mondal | Wicket-keeper | 10 lakh |
| Player Name | Role | Price Details |
| Sophie Ecclestone | Bowler | 1.8 crore |
| Deepti Sharma | All-rounder | 2.6 crore |
| Tahlia McGrath | All-rounder | 1.4 crore |
| Shabnim Ismail | Bowler | 1 crore |
| Alyssa Healy | Wicket-keeper | 70 lakh |
| Anjali Sarvani | Bowler | 55 lakh |
| Rajeshwari Gayakwad | Bowler | 40 lakh |
| Parshavi Chopra | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Shweta Sehrawat | Batter | 40 lakh |
| S Yashasri | All-rounder | 10 lakh |
| Kiran Navgire | Batter | 30 lakh |
| Grace Harris | All-rounder | 75 lakh |
| Devika Vaidya | All-rounder | 1.4 crore |
| Lauren Bell | Bowler | 30 lakh |
| Laxmi Yadav | Wicket-keeper | 10 lakh |
| Simran Shaikh | Batter | 10 lakh |