The WPL Teams 2026 auction happened at the JW Marriott Hotel in New Delhi recently. Five franchises filled 67 slots from a pool of 277 cricketers available. The players list included 194 Indian women and 83 overseas stars from different countries.
Base prices ranged from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh depending on experience levels. Deepti Sharma became the most expensive player fetching ₹3.20 crore from UP Warriorz. Her franchise used its Right to Match option to bring her back home.
Each WPL team could pick a maximum of 18 players for their 2026 side. Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals retained multiple players from previous seasons smartly. UP Warriorz needed the most rebuilding after their disappointing last campaign.
Record Prices and Surprise Snubs
Amelia Kerr went to the Mumbai Indians for ₹3.00 crore making her the second most expensive. Sophie Devine joined Gujarat Giants for ₹2.00 crore adding international experience to their squad. These WPL teams spent big money securing quality overseas cricketers for the 2026 campaigns.
Anushka Sharma fetched ₹45 lakh becoming the priciest uncapped player at the auction. Gujarat Giants grabbed her believing she’ll develop into something special eventually. The players list also featured 16-year-old Deeya Yadav who made history as the youngest ever.
Delhi Capitals bought Deeya for ₹10 lakh showing faith in extremely young talent. But big names like Alyssa Healy and Heather Knight went unsold shockingly there. Sometimes experienced stars don’t attract bids if teams want fresh faces instead.
How Teams Built Their Squads
1. Mumbai Indians (Purse Remaining: ₹0)
Nat Sciver-Brunt (R ₹3.5 Cr), Harmanpreet Kaur (R ₹2.5 Cr), Hayley Mathews (R ₹1.75 Cr), Amelia Kerr (₹3 Cr), Shabnim Ismail (₹60 Lakh), Sanskriti Gupta (₹20 Lakh), Sajeewan Sajana (₹75 Lakh), Rahila Firdous (₹10 Lakh), Nicola Carey (₹30 Lakh), Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Milly Illingworth
2. Delhi Capitals (Purse Remaining: ₹0)
Jemimah Rodrigues (R ₹2.2 Cr), Shafali Verma (R ₹2.2 Cr), Annabel Sutherland (R ₹2.2 Cr), Marizanne Kapp (R ₹2.2 Cr), Laura Wolvaardt (₹1.1 Cr), Chinnelle Henry (₹1.3 Cr), Sree Charani (₹1.3 Cr), Sneh Rana (₹50 Lakh), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Lizelle Lee, Taniya Bhatia, Nandani Sharma, Deeya Yadav, Mamatha Madiwala, Lucy Hamilton.
3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Purse Remaining: ₹0)
Smriti Mandhana (R ₹3.5 Cr), Richa Ghosh (R ₹2.75 Cr), Ellyse Perry (R ₹2 Cr), Lauren Bell (₹90 Lakh), Nadine de Klerk (₹65 Lakh), Radha Yadav (₹65 Lakh), Prema Rawat (RTM ₹20 Lakh), Shreyanka Patil, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Arundhati Reddy, Georgia Voll, Linsey Smith, Dayalan Hemalatha, Gautami Nayak, Prathyoosha Kumar
4. Gujarat Giants (Purse Remaining: ₹15 Lakh)
Ashleigh Gardner (R ₹3.5 Cr), Beth Mooney (R ₹2.5 Cr), Sophie Devine (₹2 Cr), Georgia Wareham (₹1 Cr), Bharti Fulmali (RTM ₹70 Lakh), Kashvee Gautam (RTM ₹65 Lakh), Kanika Ahuja (₹30 Lakh), Tanuja Kanwar (₹45 Lakh), Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Shivani Singh, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ayushi Soni
5. UP Warriorz (Purse Remaining: ₹15 Lakh)
Deepti Sharma (R ₹3.2 Cr RTM), Shikha Pandey (₹2.4 Cr), Meg Lanning (₹1.9 Cr), Sophie Ecclestone (RTM ₹85 Lakh), Phoebe Litchfield (₹1.2 Cr), Kiran Navgire (RTM ₹60 Lakh), Harleen Deol (₹50 Lakh), Kranti Goud (RTM ₹50 Lakh), Shweta Sehrawat, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Tara Norris, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, G Trisha, Pratika Rawal
UP Warriorz came into the WPL 2026 auction needing the most changes urgently. Their squad from last season disappointed badly requiring a complete overhaul almost everywhere. They spent aggressively rebuilding their entire team from scratch.
Mumbai Indians kept their WPL core together by retaining key players from 2026 already. This continuity helps teams because everyone knows their roles clearly without confusion arising. Delhi Capitals also maintained stability by keeping their successful players mostly intact overall.
Each WPL team adjusted strategies when players withdrew mid-auction creating unexpected situations suddenly. The final list of players looks different from what everyone expected initially before bidding.
