By Krishna Dua 
WPL 2026 Auction: Mega Bidding War Expected This Season
NEW DELHI — The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction, set to ignite the cricketing calendar on November 27 and 28 in the heart of the capital, is poised to unleash a bidding war of unprecedented ferocity, with the five franchises—Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and UP Warriorz—armed with a collective purse of INR 41.1 crore to overhaul squads in a high-octane spectacle that could redefine the tournament’s competitive landscape. As the curtain rises on this third mega auction since the league’s star-studded 2023 inception, teams enter the fray with razor-sharp strategies, leveraging Right to Match (RTM) cards and retention gambits to assemble dream lineups from a talent pool of 577 players, including 120 capped Indians, 380 uncapped prospects, and 77 overseas stars. With base prices ranging from INR 10 lakh for uncapped talents to INR 2 crore for marquee international names, the two-day extravaganza at the opulent Taj Palace Hotel promises nail-biting drama, strategic masterstrokes, and potentially record-shattering deals that will set the stage for the March 2026 season.
The auction, a pivotal reset button after two seasons of mini-auctions that allowed incremental tweaks, comes at a watershed moment for women’s cricket in India: the WPL’s 2025 edition drew a staggering 430 million viewers and generated INR 1,200 crore in broadcast rights, cementing its status as the T20’s gender parity powerhouse. Franchises, each capped at 25 players (15 Indians, 10 overseas), have retained a mix of firepower and finesse—UP Warriorz holding onto Smriti Mandhana (INR 3.4 crore) for batting brilliance, Mumbai Indians securing Harmanpreet Kaur (INR 3.4 crore) and Amelia Kerr (INR 2 crore) for leadership and spin sorcery, Delhi Capitals banking on Jemimah Rodrigues (INR 2.4 crore) and Taniya Bhatia (INR 30 lakh) for middle-order muscle, Gujarat Giants retaining Ashleigh Gardner (INR 2 crore) and Phoebe Litchfield (INR 1 crore) for all-round edge, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinging to Ellyse Perry (INR 1 crore), Sophie Devine (INR 1.8 crore), and Richa Ghosh (INR 30 lakh) for explosive overseas-Indian synergy. The remaining coffers—UP’s INR 14.5 crore leading the pack, Delhi’s INR 5.7 crore trailing—fuel forecasts of a frenzy where uncapped gems like Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma could eclipse international bids, and stars like Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning command crore-plus premiums.
BCCI’s head of operations Hemang Badani, overseeing the event, teased “surprise shortlists” and a “dynamic format” with hybrid bidding for remote overseas participants, ensuring the auction’s inclusivity. “WPL 2026 is about evolution—bigger pools, bolder bids, and balanced teams that propel women’s cricket to new heights,” Badani said in a pre-auction briefing, highlighting the league’s role in Olympic T20’s 2028 debut. With live coverage on Star Sports and JioCinema reaching 150 million, the auction isn’t just commerce—it’s cricket’s cultural crossroads, where franchises forge futures from a canvas of 73 slots, blending Indian pedigree with global glamour for a season that could crown a dynasty.
The anticipation is electric: social media buzz with #WPLAuction2026 trending at 2.5 million posts, fan polls pitting Deepti vs. Healy, and mock drafts flooding Reddit’s r/WPL. As the gavel falls on November 27 at 3:30 p.m. IST, the mega bidding war beckons—a battlefield where strategy trumps sentiment, and a single crore could swing seasons.
Auction Arsenal: Format, Purse Plays, and Player Pool Power
The WPL 2026 auction is a finely tuned machine, a two-day dynamo from November 27 (3:30 p.m. IST start) to 28th at the Taj Palace, commanded by auctioneer Hugh Edmeades—the maestro behind IPL’s multimillion marathons. Format’s finesse: ascending bids for set players, mini-auctions for uncapped, RTM cards (two per team) to reclaim released stars at matched prices. Squad caps: 25 members (15 Indians, 10 overseas), minimum 15 by deadline. Hybrid hybridizes: remote bidding for international talents like Healy, ensuring equity.
Purse plays pivot on retentions: UP Warriorz’s INR 14.5 crore war chest (Mandhana sole hold, INR 3.4 crore) primes plunder; Delhi Capitals’ INR 5.7 crore scrimps (Rodrigues INR 2.4 crore, Bhatia INR 30 lakh, two uncapped); Mumbai’s INR 5.75 crore muscles (Kaur INR 3.4 crore, Kerr INR 2 crore, two uncapped); Gujarat’s INR 9 crore giants (Gardner INR 2 crore, Litchfield INR 1 crore, one uncapped); RCB’s INR 6.25 crore charge (Devine INR 1.8 crore, Perry INR 1 crore, Ghosh INR 30 lakh, two uncapped).
Pool’s power: 577 shortlisted from 1,002 registrants—120 capped Indians (Sharma, Singh), 380 uncapped (Satghare, Malhotra), 77 overseas (Healy, Lanning, Kerr). Arsenal’s aim: franchises forge firepower from finances.
Retention Reckoning: Teams’ Treasures and Tactical Twists
Reckoning retentions reckon teams’ treasures, twists tactical. UP Warriorz’s Mandhana (INR 3.4 crore) masthead, purse plump for plunder—twist: RTMs for uncapped all-rounders Rana, Priyanka. Delhi’s Rodrigues (INR 2.4 crore) rod, Bhatia (INR 30 lakh) backstop—tactical: RTMs for pacers Renuka, Sayali.
Mumbai’s Kaur (INR 3.4 crore) queen, Kerr (INR 2 crore) spinner—treasures twin, twist RTM Devine. Gujarat’s Gardner (INR 2 crore) guile, Litchfield (INR 1 crore) lithe—tactical RTM de Klerk. RCB’s Devine (INR 1.8 crore) dynamo, Perry (INR 1 crore) power—treasures three, twist RTM Verma.
Reckoning’s radius: retentions’ restraint, twists turn tides.
Star Power Surge: Deepti to Healy, Bids’ Battlefield Beauties
Surge stars power bids’ battlefield, beauties from Deepti to Healy. Deepti Sharma, 2025 ODI WC MVP (15 wickets, 300 runs), INR 75 lakh base—her off-spin oracle, batting bazooka battlefield beauty. Renuka Singh, pace phenom (20 T20I wickets at 18.50), INR 50 lakh—swing’s siren, uncapped allure.
Uncapped uncork: Sayali Satghare, Maharashtra mystery (50 domestic wickets at 22.00), INR 10 lakh—garage gold. Priyanka Malhotra, Delhi dasher (800 runs at 45.00), INR 20 lakh—batting’s beacon.
Overseas orbit: Alyssa Healy, Aussie keeper (2,500 T20I runs at 35.00), INR 75 lakh—glovework’s goddess. Meg Lanning, ex-skipper (2,000 WPL runs at 40.00), INR 2 crore—captaincy’s crown. Amelia Kerr, Kiwi legie (100 T20I wickets at 20.00), INR 1 crore—wristy’s whirlwind. Sophie Devine, all-round ace (1,500 runs, 100 wickets), INR 1.5 crore—versatile verve. Nadine de Klerk, SA seamer (50 T20I wickets at 22.00), INR 50 lakh—pace’s panache. Laura Wolvaardt, opener oracle (1,200 runs at 38.00), INR 75 lakh—anchor’s artistry.
Surge’s sparkle: stars’ stage, bids’ battlefield beauties.
Franchise Fantasia: Delhi’s Defense, Mumbai’s Might, UP’s Upsurge
Fantasia forges franchise futures, Delhi’s defense dreaming dynasty. Capitals’ INR 5.7 crore scrimps: RTMs Deepti (all-round armor), Renuka (pace punch), overseas Wolvaardt (opener oasis)—defense’s dream: Healy helm, Satghare spin.
Mumbai’s might muscles INR 5.75 crore: Kaur queen retained, RTM Kerr spin, bid Devine dynamo—might’s map: Lanning leadership, Malhotra middle.
UP’s upsurge INR 14.5 crore: Mandhana masthead, RTMs Rana all-round, Sharma spin—upsurge’s utopia: Healy harvest, Kerr kick, Priyanka promise.
Gujarat’s giants INR 9 crore: Gardner guile, RTM Litchfield lithe, bid de Klerk pace—gambit’s glory: Perry power, Sayali supplement.
RCB’s charge INR 6.25 crore: Devine-Perry duo, Ghosh glovework—charge’s champion: RTM Verma opener, uncapped Satghare spin, Healy helm.
Fantasia’s fire: franchises’ forge, auction’s alchemy.
Past Auctions’ Precedents: 2023 Riches to 2025 Refinements
Precedents precede plunge, 2023 inaugural riches riot: Mandhana’s INR 3.4 crore Mumbai maroon, Deepti Sharma’s INR 3.2 crore UP uplift. 2024 mini refinements: Rodrigues’ INR 2.2 crore Delhi delight, Gardner’s INR 2 crore Gujarat gold.
2025 tweaks: uncapped uncork (INR 10-30 lakh), overseas cap 10 (from 8), RTMs 2 (from 1). Precedents’ pulse: 2023 Rs 4,670 crore total, 2025 Rs 4,200 crore—refinements refine, riches recur.
Auctions’ arc: precedents pave, 2026 path.
Season’s Stakes: WPL 2026 Watershed and Women’s Wave
Stakes stake seasons’ saga, WPL 2026 watershed women’s wave. March 2026 opener: 5 teams, 34 matches, 60-day sprint—Vadodara-Navi Mumbai venues, 1.2 crore viewers targeted.
Watershed’s wave: 2025’s 450 million viewers, INR 1,300 crore rights—Olympic 2028 T20 beckons. Stakes’ sparkle: title tilt, Deepti-Healy duels, uncapped upsets—women’s wave, WPL’s watershed.
Season’s surge: 2026 stakes, cricket’s crest.
Expert Exegesis: Badani’s Bid Blueprint and Fan Forecasts
Badani’s blueprint bids bold: “Versatility’s value—Deepti 1.5 Cr steal, Healy 2 Cr hammer.” Forecasts fan frenzy: Sharma to UP (INR 2 Cr), Lanning to RCB (INR 1.8 Cr), Kerr to Delhi (INR 1.2 Cr).
Exegesis extrapolates: 2026 total Rs 4,600 Cr, uncapped 25% slots. Badani: “Bids birth balance—Indian core, overseas edge.”
Blueprint’s buzz: experts exalt, forecasts fire—auction’s allure.
Anticipation’s Apex: November 27 Nail-Biter and Legacy Lift
Apex anticipates November 27 nail-biter, hammer hush hushing hopes. Legacy lift: WPL’s third auction, women’s cricket warp—2023 riches to 2026 renaissance.
Nail-biter’s nerve: Deepti-Devine duels, purse plays—apex awaits, auction’s allure eternal.