WPL 2026 Retention, AS IT HAPPENED: Top stars Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr, and Deepti Sharma have been released ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction. RCB retained Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil, while Delhi Capitals kept Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, and Niki Prasad.
Mumbai Indians held on to Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, and G Kamalini. Gujarat Giants retained Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, and UP Warriorz kept Shweta Sehrawat. Warriorz enter the auction with the highest purse of ₹14.5 crore and four RTMs.
Under the updated regulations, each franchise will be permitted to retain a maximum of five players ahead of the auction.
These slots are divided into specific categories to ensure a diverse mix of talent-no more than three capped Indian players (those who have represented India in official matches), up to two overseas players, and a maximum of two uncapped Indian players.
Importantly, if a team opts to retain all five players, at least one of them must be an uncapped Indian, a move designed to encourage domestic player development.
To maintain parity in team spending, the BCCI has introduced a structured salary deduction model that will directly impact the franchise's auction purse, which stands at ₹15 crore. The retention slabs are set as follows: ₹3.5 crore for the first retained player, ₹2.5 crore for the second, ₹1.75 crore for the third, ₹1 crore for the fourth, and ₹0.5 crore for the fifth. Therefore, retaining all five players would cost a team ₹9.25 crore, leaving ₹5.75 crore available for the auction pool.
Adding a new twist to the 2026 season, the WPL will feature the Right-to-Match (RTM) card system for the first time. This allows teams to re-sign previously released players by matching the highest bid placed for them during the auction. The introduction of RTM cards is expected to make the bidding process more tactical, as teams will have to weigh their purse balance against the desire to reacquire key players.
As the retention lists roll out, fans can expect strategic surprises from each franchise ahead of the high-stakes mega auction.
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