With the 2025 Women’s World Cup now concluded and India lifting the trophy on home soil, attention in women’s cricket swiftly returns to the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The WPL 2026 retentions deadline of November 5 precedes the mega auction later this month, and this window presents some of the most challenging decisions franchises will have faced since the league’s inception.
Performances at the World Cup have shifted perceptions, raised stocks, and altered plans, leaving teams with sensitive calls to make regarding experience, current form, and long-term value.
Delhi Capitals: The Core Is Set, but the Overseas Decision is Delicate
For Delhi Capitals, three retentions feel straightforward: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and N Shree Charani. Rodrigues and Shafali remain central to DC’s batting identity, while Charani’s breakout World Cup has made her impossible to ignore.
Her 14 wickets including match-shaping spells against Australia confirmed her rise from promising domestic spinner to premier international performer.
The complexity begins when looking at Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp, and Annabel Sutherland. Lanning has been the tactical brain and emotional anchor of the DC dressing room, but retirement remains a realistic possibility. Should she continue, retaining her becomes almost automatic; should she step away, DC will need to reimagine leadership.
The decision between Kapp and Sutherland may ultimately define DC’s identity moving forward. Kapp remains one of the game’s finest competitors, capable of influencing big matches with both bat and ball.
Yet Sutherland’s World Cup was arguably more impactful her 17 wickets, second only to Deepti Sharma, underlined her rise into a genuine three-phase bowling option. Both can bat in crisis situations. Releasing either into the auction could trigger aggressive bidding, but retaining both is not feasible under purse rules. DC must decide whether to prioritize experience now or long-term upside.
Gujarat Giants: Too Many Overseas Anchors, Too Few Slots
No franchise faces a more emotionally difficult dilemma than Gujarat Giants. The group of Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, and Phoebe Litchfield is simply too strong for only two overseas retention slots.
Wolvaardt’s World Cup reaffirmed her stature as one of the most consistent top-order batters in world cricket. She added range, aggression, and six-hitting that had previously been considered secondary elements of her game. Mooney, meanwhile, remains one of the game’s most reliable chasers and wicketkeepers.
But the conversation inevitably includes Gardner, who provides a rare dual impact as a genuine allrounder capable of changing games with bat and off-spin. Litchfield, meanwhile, represents long-term value and tactical flexibility across formats.
The Giants may have to decide whether to prioritize present stability or future scaffolding. Releasing any of these names will reshape the dynamics of the auction, where several teams will view them as foundational acquisitions.
Mumbai Indians: Toughest Call in the League
At Mumbai Indians, the debate centers on Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr. Matthews has been among the WPL’s most influential performers across seasons a powerplay destroyer with the ball and a top-order presence in the batting line-up. Kerr, however, brings unmatched control with the ball through the middle overs and has matured into a dependable finisher with the bat.
This decision becomes even more complicated when factoring in Amanjot Kaur, whose return from injury across both WPL 2025 and the World Cup has elevated her status.
Her ability to bowl seam, slot anywhere in the batting order, and field reliably strengthens her claim as a domestic allrounder worth building around. With Pooja Vastrakar still working her way back through injury management phases, MI may view Amanjot as central to squad balance.
One name whose stock rose significantly in the World Cup and could shape MI’s planning is Nadine de Klerk. Although she did not play a match for MI last season, her World Cup performances death overs control, strike rate above 130, and composure under pressure offer compelling reasons for retention and elevation into the playing XI.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Balancing Legacy and Progression
For Royal Challengers Bangalore, Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Renuka Singh Thakur seem natural retentions. Mandhana has both tactical influence and leadership weight, Ghosh remains one of India’s premier T20 finishers, and Renuka is still the most incisive powerplay swing bowler in the country.
The question is whether Ellyse Perry remains part of the long-term blueprint. Perry’s technique, temperament, and physical conditioning still allow her to perform at a high level, but the WPL 2026 auction will be shaped by age profiles and future squad evolution.
RCB must decide whether to build sustained identity around the younger domestic group or continue to rely on Perry’s allround excellence for another cycle.
UP Warriorz: A Potential Structural Rebuild
The UP Warriorz enter the retention window with fewer certainties. Deepti Sharma remains the cornerstone, and retaining Sophie Ecclestone would allow continuity in wicket-taking strategy.
Beyond that, UP may choose the open-market route, targeting a stronger Indian core and youth development focus. This could be a rare case of strategic reset rather than incremental adjustment.
The WPL 2026 mega auction will not just reshape squads it will reset team identities, tactical philosophies, and leadership structures. With multiple high-impact overseas players potentially entering the auction pool and several Indian youngsters emerging from the World Cup spotlight, this retention cycle may prove the most decisive in the league’s short history.
The decisions made before November 5 will not simply determine who stays they will determine who gets the chance to shape the next era of women’s cricket in India.
