Australian bowling all-rounder Jess Jonassen has withdrawn from the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction due to injury. Her withdrawal was communicated to franchises by the WPL during the pre-auction briefing held on Wednesday, November 26.
The WPL also informed teams that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia, and seamer VJ Joshitha are currently injured, although their names remain in the auction pool. These players cannot be counted toward the mandatory 15-player
squad, and franchises selecting them will not be permitted to sign replacements.
Rawal has set her base price at INR 50 lakh, Bhatia at INR 30 lakh, and Joshitha at INR 10 lakh. Additionally, India fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar has been deemed not fully fit, but she will take part in the auction. Meanwhile, Kashvee Gautam has been declared fully fit. Pacer Pooja Vastrakar’s base price is INR 50 lakh, and Gautam’s is INR 30 lakh.
The 33-year-old, who spent three seasons with the Delhi Capitals Women, has been a major performer in the WPL, earning five Player of the Match awards, second only to Harmanpreet Kaur (7). She also has the most wickets (33) for DC in the tournament's history. She is currently recovering from a long-standing shoulder issue, and will be hoping for a strong return.
The marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction features top international stars including Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr, and Laura Wolvaardt. India’s Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh are the two domestic players included in this elite group.
This year marks the first-ever WPL mega-auction, with 277 players registering. A maximum of 73 slots are available, 50 for Indian players and 23 for overseas players. Each team can sign up to 18 players, with a minimum of 15, and no more than six overseas players.
Following the presentation of the first 67 players, the auction will move into the accelerated round, during which franchises may nominate players from the remaining pool. After that, teams can also request unsold or unpresented players from the full list of 277 to return to the auction.
