WPL’s First Mega Auction: Deepti Sharma Becomes Second Most Expensive Player; Mumbai Buys Amelia for ₹3 Crore

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Before the women’s mega auction in Delhi on Thursday, the BCCI announced the schedule for the Women’s Premier League 2026. The league will be held from 9 January to 5 February 2026. In the ongoing mega auction, India’s Deepti Sharma received one of the highest bids so far. She was bought by UP Warriorz for ₹3.2 crore. Earlier, Delhi had purchased her for ₹50 lakh, after which UP used the Right to Match (RTM) card.

Delhi raised Deepti’s price to ₹3.2 crore, and UP matched the amount to bring her back into the squad. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians bought New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr for ₹3 crore. The first bid of the auction went to Australia’s Alyssa Healy, but no team bought her. New Zealand’s Sophie Devine was picked by Gujarat for ₹2 crore. Delhi purchased Diya Yadav for ₹10 lakh, while Mumbai signed Sanskriti Gupta for ₹20 lakh. Sanika Chalke, Pranavi Chandra, Vrinda Dinesh, Davina Perrin, Disha Kasat, and Arushi Goel remained unsold.

Indian all-rounder Asha Sobhana was picked by UP Warriorz for ₹1.10 crore. England’s Linsey Smith was bought by Bengaluru for her base price of ₹30 lakh. No bids were placed for Australia’s Alana King, Sayka Ishaque, Priya Mishra, and Amanda Wellington.

A total of 277 players are part of the auction pool—194 Indians and 83 overseas players. However, only 73 players can be bought. The five franchises have a total of 50 Indian and 23 overseas slots available. Each team must keep at least 15 and can have a maximum of 18 players.

According to BCCI, next season’s matches will be played in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, at DY Patil Stadium and BCA Stadium respectively. The final will be held in Vadodara. Navi Mumbai has emerged as an important venue for women’s cricket over the years, and hosting matches in Vadodara is expected to attract strong local interest. WPL 2026 will be the fourth season of the league, which began in 2023. Mumbai Indians have been champions twice, while Delhi Capitals finished as runners-up in all three seasons.