The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to hold the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction ahead of the 2026 season. According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo on Thursday, the board
has informally told the five franchises about the mega auction, which is likely to take place by the end of November 2025.
As per the available information, the franchises are awaiting confirmation from the WPL on the number of retentions, the auction purse and how many right-to-match (RTM) card options would be available.
ESPN Cricinfo reports that Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are not in favour of the mega auction, but UP Warriors and Gujarat Giants support it.
“All three franchises, it is learned, reasoned that they have worked hard to build their squads over the past three seasons, and asking them to dismantle just when the WPL brand is getting established could prove to be counter-productive,” the report read.
According to one of the WPL officials, “The board understands the reservations of the three franchises against the mega auction, but it is important to ensure the tournament has five strong teams; otherwise, the imbalance could only harm the brand.”
He also pointed out that, despite the mega auction, the WPL would ensure that the teams had the opportunity to retain their core.
It is understood that some teams favour six or seven retentions; the WPL could allow a maximum of five.
For the IPL 2025 mega auction, the BCCI allowed the retention of as many as six players per team, but of those six players, a maximum of five players (Indian/overseas) can be capped.
