Five franchises (Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz) in the inaugural Women's Premier League Player Auction collectively spent INR 59.5 crore on 87 players.
The auction saw a balance of experience and exuberance earn big with domestic talent being rewarded alongside globally popular overseas stars.
The first-ever bid in the history of the WPL Player Auction turned out to be the most expensive one of the 2023 edition as the Royal Challengers Bangalore went all guns blazing to get Smriti Mandhana for a whopping INR 3.40 Crore.
On the other hand, Indian cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur joined the Mumbai Indians for INR 1.80 Crore. All-rounder Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues made massive gains after being bought by UP Warriorz for INR 2.60 Crore and Delhi Capitals for INR 2.20 Crore respectively. Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and England’s Natalie Sciver topped the charts amongst the overseas players.
The drama and excitement in the bidding wars were just glimpses of what promises a breathtaking and enthralling inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. The squads have assembled and the teams are raring to go, we can’t wait for the WPL to begin.