The TATA Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction arrives at a pivotal moment for women's cricket, coming on the back of India's recent global success and a rapid surge in interest around the league.
With only a small core of 17 players retained across the five franchises and a boosted purse giving teams more financial muscle, the auction is set to trigger a major reshuffle of star names and emerging domestic talent.
Franchises like Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have locked in their marquee Indian and overseas anchors, while Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz carry sizeable purses into the room, promising aggressive bidding wars and tactical use of the new Right-to-Match (RTM) card.
The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season retention lists were finalized with each franchise allowed to retain up to five players, including a mix of Indian and overseas stars. The key retained players for the five WPL franchises are:
Delhi Capitals (DC): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad
Gujarat Giants (GG): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney
Mumbai Indians (MI): Natalie Sciver, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil
UP Warriorz (UPW): Shweta Sehrawat
WPL 2026 Auction Purse
Delhi Capitals Women - Rs 5.70 crore
Mumbai Indians Women - Rs 5.75 crore
RCB Women - Rs 6.15 crore
Gujarat Giants - Rs 9 crore
UP Warriorz - Rs 14.50 crore
WPL 2026 Auction: How many RTMs remain for each Team?
Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have no RTMs remaining, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru have one in their hand. Gujarat Giants have 3 RTMs, whereas UP Warriorz can exercise their RTM card 4 times.
WPL 2026 Auctioneer: Who will conduct the Mega Auction?
Mallika Sagar has been named as the auctioneer for WPL 2026. The 50-year-old has been a trailblazer in the auction arena and she will be the one orchestrating the entire auction process today. Sagar has previously auctioned the IPL, Pro Kabaddi League and has prior experience to WPL as well.
