WPL auction: 409 players to go under the hammer

At the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction, which will take place in Mumbai on February 13, a total of 409 players representing 15 different nations will be offered for sale. The BCCI stated that it had received a staggering 1525 registrations, of which 246 Indian players and 163 international players were included on the final list.

There are a total of 24 players, 14 from outside the country and ten from India, who have offered the highest base price of INR 50 lakh (approximately USD 60,400), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine, and Deandra Dottin, among others The India Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup winning team has all registered for the auction.

The final list includes players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, in addition to eight associate players from the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the United States. India is not on the list.

The five franchises will each receive INR 12 crore, or approximately $1.46 million. each to spend on team formation.

At the auction, which begins at 2.30 p.m. IST and consists of 15-18 players per squad, a maximum of 90 players can be purchased. There can be up to six international players on each team

🚨 NEWS 🚨: Women’s Premier League 2023 Player Auction list announced. #WPLAuction

All The Details 🔽 https://t.co/dHfgKymMPN

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 7, 2023

The BCCI announced on January 25 that the Adani Group and Capri Global, owners of the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, were the five successful bidders for WPL teams. The Adani Group acquired Ahmedabad, Capri Global acquired Lucknow, and MI, DC, and RCB, respectively, acquired teams based in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. The BCCI received approximately USD 572.78 million from the sale of the five franchises.

Since then, some franchises have begun organizing their team management in preparation for the auction. Charlotte Edwards and Jhulan Goswami, both former captains of India and England, make up Mumbai’s coaching staff; Rachael Haynes, a former Australian batter, is the head coach of Adani’s Gujarat Giants, where Mithali Raj serves as a mentor. The coaches for the teams from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Lucknow have not yet been named.

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All 22 games in the WPL’s inaugural season will be played in Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium from March 4 to 26.