WPL 2024 Player Auction to be held in Mumbai today
A total of 165 players will go under the hammer on December 9 at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai when the player auction for the second season of the Women’s Premier League takes place. Of the 165 players, the BCCI has confirmed that are 104 are Indian and 61 are overseas, including 15 from associate nations. 30 slots are available for the five teams, of which nine are reserved for overseas players.
| Teams | Squad Size | Overseas Players | Money spent (₹) | Purse Left (₹ crores) | Available Slots | Overseas slots |
| Delhi Capitals | 15 | 5 | 11.25 | 2.25 | 3 | 1 |
| Gujarat Giants | 8 | 3 | 7.55 | 5.95 | 10 | 3 |
| Mumbai Indians | 13 | 5 | 11.40 | 2.10 | 5 | 1 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 11 | 3 | 10.15 | 3.35 | 7 | 3 |
| UP Warriorz | 13 | 5 | 9.50 | 4.00 | 5 | 1 |
Gujarat Giants will have to do the maximum buying as they have 10 available slots, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (7), and defending champions Mumbai Indians (5) and UP Warroriz (5). The last edition’s runner-up Delhi Capitals will be relatively relaxed as they have to pick just the three players.
Foreign players to watch out for.
Shabnim Ismail: The South African speedster is the fastest bowler in women’s cricket. Besides her raw pace, she has lethal bouncers in her repertoire. She is among the top five wicket-takers in women’s T20Is. Though she has hung up her boots from playing international cricket, she continues to shine in franchise cricket tournaments in Australia, England, and West Indies. Remember, the hat-trick she took for Welsh Fire against Birmingham Phoenix in this year’s The Hundred?
Deandra Dottin: First of anything is always special and when it is a century in cricket, isn’t it all the more. Her bat silenced all those who said women’s game was without power when she muscled the first century in women’s T20I cricket. There is seldom any doubt that the swashbuckling West Indian batter is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball and when she hits, it stays a hit. She was picked by Gujarat Giants in the first edition of the WPL but the franchise released her on medical grounds even before the start of the competition, which she disputed. Will GG show interest in her again?
Danielle Wyatt: Unsold in the last auction, England’s opening batter made a strong case for herself ahead of the upcoming 2024 WPL auction by scoring 75 off 47 in the 1st T20I against England at Wankhede Stadium on December 6. That match was also her 150th T20I appearance. She is the only England player across men’s and women’s cricket to achieve this feat and only the third cricketer in women’s T20Is to have this honour. In her previous interviews, she has expressed her liking for the RCB franchise. Will RCB also accept Wyatt this time around?
Indian uncapped players to watch out for.
Uma Chetry: She is an exciting talent from Assam, who was impressive for India A against England A in the recently concluded three-match T20I series. As an opening batter and wicket-keeper, the 21-year-old can be a great prospect for any WPL franchise. She is known for her attacking batting and is a safe house behind the stumps. Earlier this year, when India toured Bangladesh, she became the first woman from Assam to be picked in the India squad.
Kashvee Gautam: The right arm speedster from Chandigarh is a wicket-taking bowler. The 20-year-old was part of the India A team that played against England A in a three-match T20I series between November 29 and December 3. In this year’s senior women’s T20 tournament she claimed 12 wickets and muscled 112 runs. She was also drafted into the North Zone team and during the inter-zonal T20 tournament, she snapped a hat-trick. Since becoming the first Indian to pick 10 wickets in an U19 one day match in February 2020, she has come a long way.
Poonam Khemnar: Picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for WPL 2023, she was released by the franchise ahead of this year’s auction. The 29-year-old has a wealth of domestic experience having played for Maharashtra and Nagaland before. During her stint with Nagaland, she became the first player to hit a century in senior women’s one day match. Presently, she plays for Madhya Pradesh and is reckoned as one of the best all-rounder in India. In this year’s senior women’s T20 Trophy, she was the third highest run scorer with 329 runs and was selected to play for the Central Zone.
Top 10 players to watch out for
It was quite surprising to see players like Danielle Wyatt and Chamari Athapaththu going unsold in the WPL 2023 player auction held in February this. However, they have a high probability of getting picked in the upcoming auction.
While Wyatt had had a good summer and has started the India tour in style, Athapaththu is fresh from a successful WBBL in Australia, where she scored 552 runs to become the second run-scorer and claimed nine wickets.
| Player | Proficiency | Country | Base Price |
| Phoebe Litchfield (unsold) | Opening Batter | Australia | ₹30 lakhs |
| Danielle Wyatt (unsold) | Opening Batter | England | ₹30 lakhs |
| Chamari Athapaththu (unsold) | All-Rouner | Sri Lanka | ₹30 lakhs |
| Deandra Dottin (part of Gujarat Giants last year) | All-Rounder | West Indies | ₹50 lakhs |
| Annabel Sutherland (part of Gujarat Giants last year) | All-Rounder | Australia | ₹40 lakhs |
| Shabnim Ismail (part of UPW last year) | Fast Bowler | South Africa | ₹40 lakhs |
| Devika Vaidya (part of UPW last year) | All-Rounder | India | ₹30 lakhs |
| Poonam Khemnar (part of RCB last year) | All-Rounder | India | ₹10 lakhs |
| Ashwani Kumari (part of Gujarat Giants last year) | All-Rounder | India | ₹10 lakhs |
| Uma Chetry | WK-Opening Batter | India | ₹10 lakhs |