WPL 2024 Auction Highlights: Kashvee Gautam, Annabel Sutherland touch INR 2 cr mark; Vrinda Dinesh bags INR 1.30 cr. Team Squad, Sold and Unsold after Auction.
The auction of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) took place on December 9, 2023, in Mumbai. A total of 165 players went under the hammer, including 104 Indians and 61 overseas players, of which 15 players are from associate nations. An additional 1.5 crores were also added to the purse of all the sides.
The defending champions Mumbai Indians Women (MIW) and the four other franchises, Delhi Capitals Women, Royal Challengers Bangalore Women, Gujarat Giants, and UP Warriorz, geared up to fill the gaps in a tense bidding war. Let’s take a look at how the teams shaped up before the WPL Auction 2024.
Sutherlands, Ismail Among Top Overseas Picks of the Auction
Delhi and Mumbai found themselves in a tussle as both teams went deep for Annabel Sutherland. Delhi finally secured the services of the Australia all-rounder for INR 2 crores. Phoebe Litchfield went to Gujarat Giants for INR 1 crore, while Meghna Singh was bought by the same side for INR 30 lakh. Mumbai beat GT and UP Warriorz to the signing of Shabnim Ismail. They acquired the South Africa pacer for INR 1.20 crores. RCB picked up Kate Cross for INR 30 lakh, besides winning the services of Ekta Bisht for INR 60 lakh.
Young India Players Vrinda Dinesh & Kashvee Gautam Bag Big Deals
There was a three-way bidding war for the Karnataka opener, Vrinda Dinesh. RCB missed out on bringing the local player, as Gujarat and Warriorz went the distance. Finally, UP picked her for INR 1.30 crores. Vrinda scored 357 runs at a strike rate of 126.10 in 17 T20 matches.
The 20-year-old Punjab all-rounder, Kashvee Gautam, after a long and intense bidding war between Gujarat and Warriorz, went to Gujarat for INR 2 crores. In a U19 game in 2020, she picked up all 10 wickets in a 50-over game and finished with figures of 10-12 in 4.5 overs, including a hat-trick and 49 runs with the bat.
Spin bowler Priya Mishra went to Gujarat for INR 20 lakh. She has 14 wickets in as many T20 games with a best of 3/16. Shubha Satheesh, who got her maiden Test call-up for India, went to RCB for INR 10 lakh.
Chamari Athapaththu Went Unsold for the Second Consecutive WPL Auction
The Sri Lanka veteran Chamari Athapaththu went unsold for the second consecutive time in the WPL auction. She wasn’t even nominated in the acceleration process. Deandra Dottin also went unsold in the auction. Kim Garth, Lea Tahuhu, and Amanda Jade-Wellington also didn’t find any team.
The young Australia all-rounder, Alana King, also went unsold in the auction. Shivali Shinde - with a T20 best score of 100*, had no bids in her name. Punam Raut also remained unsold in the auction. The USA player, Tara Norris, found no bidders this time. She was with DC in the previous season and even picked up a five-wicket haul against RCB.
Full squads of all the five franchises
The defending champions, Mumbai Indians Women, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, appear to be in good shape once again following the auction. However, the other teams have also successfully filled their required vacant positions. Let's now take a comprehensive look at the complete squad lists for all five WPL sides:
Mumbai Indians Women (MIW): Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Jintamani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Priyanka Bala, Issy Wong, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan.
Delhi Capitals Women (DCW): Meg Lanning (c), Jamimah Rodrigues, Laura Harris, Taniya Bhatia, Aparna Mondal, Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Poonam Yadav, Ashwani Kumari.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCBW): Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Renuka Thakur Singh, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S. Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux.
Gujarat Giants (GG): Beth Mooney (c), Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Trisha Poojitha, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Sneha Rana, Shabnam Md Shakil, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan.
UP Warriorz (UPW): Alyssa Healy (c), Kiran Navgire, Danielle Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Garce Harris, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Soppadhandi Yashasri, Shweta Sherawat, Tahila McGrath, Lauren Bell, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sophie Ecclestone, Saima Thakor, Poonam Khemnar, Gouher Sultana.
The second season of WPL 2024 is expected to take place from February 22 to March 17. In the inaugural season, Mumbai hosted all the games. While the home-away format remains uncertain, indications are suggesting that the league might be conducted in multiple locations rather than a single venue.
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