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30 players were sold in the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) auction.
20-year-old all-rounder from Chandigarh, Kashvee Gautam was the most expensive Indian signing, who joined Gujarat Giants for Rs 2 crore.
The most expensive overseas player was Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland. Delhi Capitals had to fork out Rs 2 crore to secure her services.
Another uncapped Indian, Karnataka's Vrinda Dinesh was signed by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.30 crore.
In a major surprise, Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu was unsold.
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It's time to get the Indian T20 domestic league season underway as the auction for the second season of the Women's Premier League starts at 3pm IST in Mumbai later today.
A total of 165 cricketers are set to go under the hammer, of which 104 are Indians and 61 are overseas players.
However, there are only a total of 30 slots open among the five WPL teams, including that for nine overseas players. The total auction purse the five teams come into today's bidding day is Rs 17.65 crore with Gujarat Giants having the biggest share - Rs 5.95 crore, having released a large chunk of their players after finishing last in the inaugural season.
UP Warriorz have Rs 4 crore and Royal Challengers Bangalore have Rs 3.35 crore, and Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have purses of Rs 2.25 crore and Rs 2.1 crore respectively.
Each team is allowed to have 18 players in their respective squads, including six foreign players.
Mumbai's Hotel Grand Hyatt is hosting today's WPL auction. The teams have arrived at the venue and a pre-auction briefing has taken place.
Once again, it will be Mallika Sagar who will be the auctioneer.
(Photo: BCCI)
(Photo: BCCI)
(Photo: BCCI)
(Photo: BCCI)
(Photo: BCCI)
Apart from changing up their roster in the off season, RCB also brought in a new coach with Luke Williams taking up the role. The Australian comes with immense success in women's T20 leagues having helped guide his teams to titles in the Women’s Big Bash League and the Women’s Hundred Championship.
RCB have 7 slots open in their roster of 18 with Rs 3.35 crore to spend today.
“With five players in the Indian side from RCB the other night, it’s a really good nucleus of Indian players. We’ve got some really exciting overseas talent and are looking to add to our squad at the auction with both overseas and local talent. So I think we have a really strong squad looking forward to the season ahead,” Williams added.
We are nearly there, only a few minutes away before the first player is drawn out from the bag. The teams are also ready with the plans, as former greats like Jhulan Goswami, Charlotte Edwards and Jonathan Batty have taken their seats.
Among the players in Set 1, keep an eye out on Danni Wyatt. The experienced wicketkeeper-batter from England has been in good form, having scored 75 runs in a match against India just three days ago.
So, the time is here. The time is now. Welcome to the 2024 WPL auction.
The session kicks off with an opening speech from the president of BCCI, Roger Binny.
In other news, the former president, Sourav Ganguly is also in attendance.
Auction starts with Phoebe Litchfield. Only 20 years of age, the Australian has done well in the Women's Big Bash League.
And we have a two-pronged bidding war between Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz. UP are currently leading with a Rs 75 lakh bid!
But here come Gujarat again. It is not a surprise that Litchfield is in demand. In five T20I matches, she has scored 99 runs which includes a half-century too.
Gujarat Giants bid Rs 1 crore!
SOLD! Phoebe Litchfield goes to Gujarat.
The second player out of the bag is Danni Wyatt.
Just the one bid of Rs 30 lakh from UP Warriorz, and it is the winning bid! The English keeper-batter will join Alyssa Healy's team.
Third player – Bharti Fulmali, a 29-year-old Indian batter, could not find a bidder for now. UNSOLD!
Veteran batter Mona Meshram becomes the second player to go unsold today. The 32-year-old could return in the accelerated process later.
BIG SURPRISE!
Veda Krishnamurthy – a player with immense experience – goes unsold in the auction. Will she get a team in the accelerated round?
It seems there is absolutely no interest in the Indian batters, especially the experienced ones. Punam Raut goes unsold.
The unsold list just keeps on getting bigger. This time around, Naomi Stalenberg – 29-year-old batter from Australia – struggles to find a taker and will join the likes of Krisnamurthy and Raut.
Second overseas player to go unsold today is English batter Maia Bouchier.
Another experienced Indian batter, Priya Punia goes unsold.
And with this, we come to the end of the first set.
The first player from the all-rounders to be auction is Georgia Wareham. And she will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore!
The opening bid of Rs 40 lakh turns out to be the winning bid for the 24-year-old Aussie.
Devika Vaidya, who played quite a few matches last season, might not be a part of WPL 2024 as she goes unsold.
The next player is Annabel Sutherland – and we have a bidding war already. Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are gunning for her services. The 22-year-old all-rounder has been excellent both in the WBBL and for the Australian team.
Mumbai Indians bid Rs 1.90 crore, but Delhi come back! Rs 2 crore is the bid now with Delhi.
SOLD! Delhi sign Annabel Sutherland for Rs 2 crore!
The Indian players have really had it harsh so far. Sabbineni Meghana joins the list of Indian players to go unsold.
South Africa's Nadine de Klerk also goes unsold.
Meghna Singh is up next, and Gujarat Giants have opened the bidding at Rs 30 lakh.
SOLD! The opening bid is the winning bid.
HUGE SHOCK!
Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu was touted to be a much sought-after player, but she goes unsold in the auction.
We are into the wicketkeepers now, starting with England's Bess Heath. And, she goes unsold.
Wow, we have had a few surprises today!
Add Sushma Verma to that list, as the experienced 31-year-old keeper-batter cannot find a bidder today.
It seems there is absolutely no interest in the wicketkeepers at all. Amy Jones goes unsold.
Another English wicketkeeper-batter goes unsold. This time, it is Tammy Beaumont.
The wicketkeepers continue finding it tough in the WPL auction. Nuzhat Parween goes unsold.
And with this, the auctioneer announces a short break. Highlights of the session were Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2 crore to Delhi Capitals) and Phoebe Litchfield (Rs 1 crore to Gujarat Giants).
Let's see how much each team has left in the purse:
Delhi Capitals – Rs 25 lakh
Gujarat Giants – Rs 4.65 crore
Mumbai Indians – Rs 2.10 crore
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Rs 2.95 crore
UP Warriorz – Rs 3.10 crore
To resume the auction, we have Lea Tahuhu. The Kiwi pacer goes unsold.
The next player out of the bag is Kim Garth. And another surprise! The Aussie seamer, who did fairly well for Gujarat Gians last season, goes unsold.
Next player is South African seamer Shabnim Ismail. And we have a full-fledged bid battle between the two old horses in the franchise game – Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
But here comes a third entrant in Gujarat Giants! But MI have outbid them with a bid of Rs 1.20 crore.
SOLD! Shabmin Ismail goes to MI for Rs 1.20 crore.
Veteran West Indies speedster, Shamilia Connell is unsold.
Up next is another experienced pacer – England's Kate Cross. Royal Challengers Bangalore open the bidding with Rs 30 lakh, and it is the winning bid!
Amanda Jade-Wellington goes unsold! This might be an even bigger surprise than Chamari Athapaththu. The leggie was also doing well in the WBBL.
Preeti Bose, who played for RCB last season, goes unsold.
Next player out of the bag is Ekta Bisht, and there is interest in the left-arm spinner. If you had read our preview, you'll know she has had a great domestic season, which explains the interest in the 38-year-old.
And RCB sign her for Rs 60 lakh!
Australia's Alana King and Sri Lanka's Inoka Ranaweera goes unsold. We now move on to the uncapped batters.
Drishya IV, the 24-year-old batter from Karnataka, goes unsold.
Up next is Vrinda Dinesh, the 22-year-old batter from Karnataka. Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore and fighting for her signature. Gujarat launch a Rs 60 lakh bid, but here comes UP Warriorz!
The current bid Rs 1.20 crore with Gujarat Giants, but Warriorz return again with Rs 1.30 crore.
SOLD! Vrinda Dinesh goes to UP Warriorz for Rs 1.30 crore.
Next batter out is Trisha Poojitha. And the 21-year-old goes to Gujarat Giants for her base price of Rs 10 lakh.
Jammu & Kashmir-born Jasia Akhter and Uttar Pradesh's Arushi Goel goes unsold.
The business has stagnated a tad now. Ridhima Aggarwal, Simran Shaikh and G Divya go unsold as this set comes to its conclusion.
Next up are the wicketkeepers, and to kick-start the set, we have Scotland's Sarah Bryce. She goes unsold.
Delhi Capitals have added wicketkeeping cover in the form of Aparna Mondal, who has been signed for Rs 10 lakh.
19-year-old Teertha Satish and 27-year-old Shivali Shinde remain unsold.
Another surprise – Uma Chetry, the 21-year-old promising wicketkeeper from Assam, could not find a bidder.
The proceedings resume with Kashvee Gautam. Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore are bidding for the 20-year-old all-rounder. And here come UP Warriorz, emerging as a surprise package again!
Rs 1 crore is currently the highest bid, with Gujarat Giants. In our preview, we had predicted Kashvee to be in both UP & Gujarat's radar.
Despite being only 20 years of age, she scalped 12 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 4.14 runs per over in the Women's Senior T20 Trophy 2023.
The current bid is Rs 2 crore! And it is the winning bid.
Kashvee Gautam joins Gujarat Giants for Rs 2 crore.
Karnataka all-rounder S Sajana will be seen playing for Mumbai Indians. She has been signed for Rs 15 lakh.
Meanwhile, Poonam Khemnar – the 29-year-old all-rounder who plays for Nagaland – has been signed by UP Warriorz for Rs 10 lakh.
Mumbai Indians have bolstered their squad with the addition of yet another Indian all-rounder. 21-year-old Amandeep Kaur joins Harmanpreet Kaur's team for Rs 10 lakh.
Like Mumbai Indians, UP Warriorz are also stacking their team with Indian all-rounders. Saima Thakor joins the team for Rs 10 lakh.
Quite a few Indian players are now going unsold. Young talents Hurley Gala and Aditi Chauhan are among the notable names.
Pacer Komal Zanzad, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, remains unsold as well.
It seems not many teams are interested to add pacers to their arsenal. Haorungbam Chanu and Rekha Singh go unsold.
Now, this is a bit of a surprise. American left-arm pacer Tara Norris, who plucked a fifer against RCB while playing for DC last season, also goes unsold.
Next up out of the bag is Priya Mishra – a promising 19-year-old leg-spinner from Delhi. And she will play for Gujarat Giants, who have acquired her services for Rs 20 lakh.
Amisha Bahukhandi and Sonam Yadav are unsold, and with this, we come to an end of set 10.
Now, the auction will move into the accelerated process, where each team has been asked to submit a list of five players they would want to be auctioned. What it subsequently means, is that there will be a maximum of 25 players to be auctioned, should there be no overlap in names.
Here's what each team has got left in the purse, and the slots they have available:
Delhi Capitals – Rs 15 lakh, 1 slot available (overseas quota full)
Gujarat Giants – Rs 2.35 crore, 5 slots available (2 overseas)
Mumbai Indians – Rs 65 lakh, 2 slots available (overseas quota full)
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Rs 2.05 crore, 4 slots available (1 overseas)
UP Warriorz – Rs 2.20 crore, 1 slot available (overseas quota full)
The big update before the accelerated round is that Charami Athapaththu has not been named by any team. The Sri Lankan all-rounder will not be a part of WPL 2024.
The accelerated round has started two with players going unsold – Nicola Carey and Alice Davidson Richards.
The first player to be sold in this round is Lauren Cheatle. The Australian left-arm pacer, who scalped 21 wickets in 14 matches at the 2023 WBBL, goes to Gujarat Giants for Rs 30 lakh.
Gujarat are on a roll here. Well, they also have the most money.
Scottish wicketkeeper-batter Kathryn Bryce joins Beth Mooney's team for Rs 10 lakh.
Third signing for the Gujarat Giants in as many minutes! Mannat Kashyap, the 20-year-old all-rounder from Punjab, joins GG for Rs 10 lakh.
Delhi Capitals have completed their squad with the purchase of Ashwani Kumari. The 26-year-old all-rounder bags Rs 10 lakh.
The latest addition to Mumbai's already formidable spin department is Fatima Jaffer. The left-arm orthodox spinner is signed for Rs 10 lakh.
Another signing for Mumbai Indians! 23-year-old all-rounder from Tamil Nadu, Keerthana Ramakrishnan is sold for Rs 10 lakh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have also thrown their hat into the ring by acquiring an uncapped Indian all-rounder in 24-year-old Shubha Satheesh, for Rs 10 lakh.
With this, we have come to an end of this round.
Two teams – defending champions Mumbai Indians and runners-up Delhi Capitals – have already completed their quota of 18 players. Hence, the expectedly last round of the auction will feature the other three teams – Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz.
Here's what each team has got left in the purse, and the slots they have available:
Delhi Capitals – Rs 5 lakh, Team Completed
Gujarat Giants – Rs 1.85 crore, 2 slots available (overseas quota full)
Mumbai Indians – Rs 45 lakh, Team Completed
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Rs 1.95 crore, 3 slots available (1 overseas)
UP Warriorz – Rs 2.20 crore, 1 slot available (overseas quota full)
Albeit England's Kate Cross will be donning the Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey, the Chennai Super Kings fan still has a soft corner for the MS Dhoni-led team. On X, she wrote 'Still @ChennaiIPL' while posting a picture of her in an old RCB shirt.
She also opened up on the delight of signing for RCB, stating "Absolutely delighted to have seen that I've been picked up in the auction to represent Bangalore. Looking forward to donning the red and the gold. Always been a huge fan of the IPL and obviously the WPL last year. Love what it's doing for the women's game and can't wait to be involved."
Gujarat Giants have added experience to their ranks by signing Veda Krishnamurthy. The 31-year-old was sold for Rs 30 lakh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have added another Indian all-rounder to their squad. Andhra's Sabbhineni Meghana is sold for Rs 30 lakh.
An Indian pacer has been added to Royal Challengers Bangalore's camp. Delhi-born Simran Dil Bahadur was signed by Smriti Mandhana's team for Rs 30 lakh.
UP Warriorz strengthen their team by signing Gouher Sultana. The 35-year-old left-arm spinner from Bengal will play for Alyssa Healy's team for Rs 30 lakh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are the last team to complete their overseas quota, but they have done with a steal by signing Australian all-rounder Sophie Molineux for Rs 30 lakh.
Gujarat Giants complete their squad by signing Tarannum Pathan – an experienced 30-year-old batter from Baroda.
And with this, we have come to the conclusion of the 2024 WPL auction!
A total of 30 players were sold today, with franchises spending Rs 12.75 crore to build the best possible squad they could. A couple of Indians stole the show – Kashvee Gautam joined Gujarat Giants for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz had to spend Rs 1.30 crore to acquire the services of Vrinda Dinesh.
Among the overseas players, Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland was the most expensive, joining Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore. Meanwhile, South African speedster Shabnim Ismail joined Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.20 crore.
All of that being said, there were a few surprises. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu and Australia's Amanda-Jade Wellington – two players who were touted to earn big bucks – could not attract any interest at all.
But beyond everything else, this has been a celebration of women's cricket, as the Indian youngsters not only earned the recognition they deserved, but were also provided with a stepping stone for the future. Thanks for being with us.
If you want to check out the full squads of any team, we have got you covered. Just click on the team you would want to know about: