The Women’s Premier League WPL 2026 auction, held in New Delhi on Thursday, delivered one of the most dramatic and strategically nuanced bidding days in the league’s young history.
Across a tense afternoon of negotiations and rapid-fire bidding, the five franchises collectively secured 67 players, spending ₹40.80 crore, and setting the tone for a fiercely competitive upcoming season. With teams now clearly understanding the premium on elite Indian talent, the auction saw aggressive financial manoeuvres particularly from the UP Warriorz, who engineered the biggest overhaul of the day.
Deepti Sharma Tops the Charts
The headline moment arrived when Deepti Sharma became the most expensive player of the 2026 auction. Reacquired by the UP Warriorz for ₹3.20 crore through the Right-to-Match (RTM) card, Deepti’s value soared amid an intense bidding war. The price also established her as the second-highest valued player in WPL history, behind only Smriti Mandhana’s record ₹3.40 crore signing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023.
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The UP Warriorz, entering the auction with the largest purse due to minimal retentions, had both the means and the motivation to reclaim their star all-rounder. Her acquisition anchored the franchise’s new-look squad one designed around experience, leadership, and multi-skill domestic depth.
While Deepti occupied the top bracket, the moment of the day for overseas stars came when Mumbai Indians secured New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr for ₹3 crore. Given MI’s limited pre-auction purse of ₹5.75 crore, the franchise made a bold, all-in call for one of the world’s most versatile T20 cricketers.
The decision meant Mumbai devoted more than half their purse to a single player but considering Kerr’s impact with bat and ball across the WPL’s first three editions, it was an investment rooted in clarity of role and long-term value. With world-class all-rounders Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews already retained, Kerr’s addition makes MI’s core arguably the strongest in the league.
A Strategic, High-Volume Auction
This year’s event saw franchises spend ₹40.80 crore to sign 67 players, a significant reduction from the inaugural 2023 auction where ₹59.50 crore was spent on 87 signings. Over the next two years, the mini-auctions saw totals of ₹12.75 crore and ₹9.05 crore, highlighting the unique scale and importance of the 2026 mega auction.
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The structure of retentions heavily influenced the dynamics. Teams that entered with smaller purses like Delhi Capitals (₹5.70 crore) and Mumbai Indians (₹5.75 crore) were forced to operate with razor-sharp precision, focusing on a few high-impact targets rather than volume. On the other hand, UP Warriorz (₹14.5 crore purse) and Gujarat Giants (₹9 crore) used their financial flexibility to reshape their squads aggressively.
UP Warriorz: The Day’s Biggest Spenders
The Warriorz were comfortably the auction’s top spenders, committing ₹14.15 crore to engineer a near-complete roster overhaul. Their biggest wins included not just Deepti, but also:
- Shikha Pandey (₹2.40 crore)
- Meg Lanning (₹1.90 crore)
- Phoebe Litchfield (₹1.20 crore)
- Asha Shobhana (₹1.10 crore)
- Sophie Ecclestone (₹85 lakh, arguably the steal of the auction)
Across the day, they acquired 17 players, creating an almost entirely new first-choice XI that blends international pedigree with high-value domestic strength. Their RTM usage reflected a clear strategy: retain core Indian all-rounders and secure depth in pace and spin while constructing a leadership transition around Lanning and Deepti.
Gujarat Giants Strengthen Their Bowling Arsenal
The Giants prioritized all-rounders and bowling depth, securing:
- Sophie Devine (₹2 crore)
- Georgia Wareham (₹1 crore)
- Renuka Singh (₹60 lakh)
- Kashvee Gautam (₹65 lakh, via RTM)
Their 18-player squad is built around a strong bowling core featuring Renuka, Wareham, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Tanuja Kanwer. Gujarat’s strategy was conservative in the marquee rounds and explosive in the mid-auction phases where pricing volatility was highest.
Mumbai Indians: Quality Over Quantity
MI’s strategy remained consistent with their championship DNA protect the core, buy only what is essential, and prioritize all-rounders. Kerr remained their singular marquee target, with subsequent cost-efficient additions like Shabnim Ismail (₹60 lakh) and Sajeevan Sajana (₹75 lakh).
Despite having the lowest purse on the day, Mumbai walked away with exactly what they wanted a balanced squad with an elite, multi-role starting XI.
Delhi Capitals Target Specific High-Impact Roles
Delhi entered with ₹5.70 crore and executed a strikingly optimized strategy:
- Chinelle Henry (₹1.30 crore)
- Shree Charani (₹1.30 crore)
- Laura Wolvaardt (₹1.10 crore)
Over half their purse went into three major signings, after which they filled the remainder of the squad with value buys including Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Mamatha Madiwala, and Minnu Mani.
Their auction mirrored Mumbai’s focused, data-driven, and anchored by a strong existing core.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Building Around a Retained Core
RCB, despite a modest ₹6.16 crore purse, strengthened their championship-winning framework with:
- Pooja Vastrakar (₹85 lakh)
- Arundhati Reddy (₹75 lakh)
- Radha Yadav (₹65 lakh)
- Nadine de Klerk (₹65 lakh)
- Lauren Bell (₹90 lakh)
RCB’s balanced auction reinforced depth around their retained stars Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Ellyse Perry.
A Defining Auction Ahead of WPL 2026
The WPL 2026 mega auction showcased the clearest trends yet in franchise strategy:
- Elite Indian all-rounders dominate valuations
- Overseas specialists offer better value than ever
- Teams are prioritizing building cores rather than entire squads
- RTM cards remain crucial in preserving franchise identity
With all five teams exhausting their budgets almost entirely, the stage is now set for the most tactically and competitively balanced WPL season yet. The auction belonged to Deepti, but the coming season will reveal which strategy volume, precision, or stability proves most effective on the field.
