WPL 2026 Auction: The Women's Premier League (WPL) is gearing up for its 2026 season, with the auction set to take centre stage in New Delhi on November 27. A total of 277 players have entered the pool, with franchises preparing for a day-long bidding showdown as they look to reconfigure their squads ahead of the tournament's fourth edition, scheduled for early next year.
The list is a diverse mix featuring 52 capped Indian players, 66 capped overseas names, 142 uncapped Indian cricketers, and 17 uncapped international players. With 73 slots available across the five teams, competition is expected to be intense as managements attempt to strike the right balance of experience and emerging talent.
Proceedings will begin at 3:30 p.m. IST, opening
with the much-anticipated marquee set. This elite group comprises eight standout performers: Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Amelia Kerr, Meg Lanning, and Laura Wolvaardt. All eight are expected to trigger strong interest, given their proven impact in previous editions and international cricket.
In the base-price categories, 19 players have listed themselves at ₹50 lakh, the highest bracket. They are followed by 11 players in the ₹40 lakh range and 88 players in the ₹30 lakh group. Notably, the auction will also feature four players from Associate nations - Theertha Satish (UAE), Tara Norris (USA), Thipatcha Putthawong (Thailand) and Esha Oza (UAE) - each carrying a base price of ₹10 lakh.
This year's auction dynamics are shaped heavily by retention decisions made on November 6. UP Warriorz, having kept only one player - rising star Shweta Sehrawat - enter the auction with the highest number of vacancies. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals retained five players each, Royal Challengers Bengaluru held onto four, and Gujarat Giants, fresh off their first-ever Playoffs appearance, arrive with two key retentions in Ash Gardner and Beth Mooney.
The upcoming WPL season is likely to begin earlier than usual due to India co-hosting the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 with Sri Lanka in early February. Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, will once again look to set the benchmark when the league returns.
