The WPL 2026 Auction is set to begin tomorrow, bringing a new wave of excitement after India’s stunning World Cup victory.
The Mega Auction atmosphere will reflect that excitement as teams prepare to invest strategic money to strengthen their squads.
A total of 277 players are in the auction pool, including 194 Indians and 83 foreigners, competing for 73 slots.
Under WPL 2026 rules, each team must form a squad of 15 to 18 players, with a maximum of six foreigners.
There are 50 spots reserved for Indian players and 23 for overseas cricketers.
Each franchise originally received a wallet of ₹15 crore. After retentions, most ended up with around ₹5.75 crore available.
The retention deduction is fixed: the first player gets ₹3.5 crore, the second ₹2.75 crore, the third ₹1 crore, the fourth ₹50 lakh, and the fifth ₹50 lakh.
This WPL 2026 Auction also introduces the RTM rule, where a team can re-sign its released player by matching the highest bid, a massive shift in Mega Auction strategy.
Team-wise WPL 2026 Auction Purse Status
Delhi Capitals retained Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, and Niki Prasad. Remaining Purse: ₹5.75 crore.
RTM: None.
Mumbai Indians retained Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, and Hayley Matthews. Remaining Purse: ₹5.75 crore.
RTM: None.
Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil. Remaining Purse: ₹6.15 crore.
RTM: 1 card.
Gujarat Giants retained just Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney, keeping their Money bank strong with a Purse of ₹9 crore.
RTM: 3 cards.
UP Warriors made a bold strategic move, only retaining Shweta Sehrawat. Their purse is the largest: ₹13.25 crore, giving them huge Money leverage.
RTM: up to 5 cards.
WPL 2025 Mega Auction Strategy
Big-name foreign stars like Laura Wolvaardt, Meg Lanning, and Alyssa Healy are expected to trigger aggressive bidding.
UP even released the 2025 World Cup Player of the Tournament, Dipti Sharma likely planning to use the RTM advantage in the WPL 2026 Auction.
Indian talents such as Renuka Singh, Harleen Deol, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, and Pooja Vastrakar have base prices in the 30 – 50 lakh range, while uncapped players start at 10 lakh.
The RTM cards will transform the Mega Auction dynamics, especially since Gujarat and UP possess more RTM flexibility and more Money in their wallet.
With India’s World Cup win fueling demand, the WPL 2026 bidding war will see teams spending heavily to capture this momentum.
