Mumbai hosted the first-ever WPL player auction on Monday, where five teams selected a total of 87 cricketers, 30 of whom were from overseas. The entire event saw a total investment of INR 59.5 crore. Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain of the Indian national team, emerged as the most prized player. The competition for her was intense, particularly between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, but RCB ultimately secured the star opener for a record-breaking Rs 3.40 crore (USD 410,000).
On Monday, the first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction took place in Mumbai, where 87 players were selected by five teams. Out of these, 30 were international cricketers. A total of INR 59.5 crore was spent during the auction. India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player in the auction. Mandhana stole the thunder in the inaugural WPL auctions as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pipped Mumbai Indians (MI) in an intense bidding war to acquire the services of the star opener. RCB succeeded in signing Mandhana for a whooping amount of Rs 3.40 crore (USD 410,000).
Ashleigh Gardner was the first Australian player to be signed during Monday's WPL auction. She was the subject of a heated contest between the Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, and UP Warriorz, with the Gujarat Giants eventually winning the bid at 3.2 crore.
After falling short in the races for Mandhana and Gardner, Mumbai Indians pivoted their focus to Natalie Sciver. After outlasting the UP Warriorz in a tight bidding sequence, MI locked in the English all-rounder for 3.2 crore. Indian talent Deepti Sharma also saw a massive jump in value; starting at a base of 50 lakh, she drew interest from Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, and UP. The UP Warriorz eventually won her over with a final bid of 2.6 crore.
Delhi Capitals made some big moves by picking up Indian power-hitter Shafali Verma for 2 crore and Jemimah Rodrigues—who recently shone in the World Cup win over Pakistan—for 2.20 crore. Additionally, Australian wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney went for 2 crore. Although Gujarat Giants entered the bidding late, they managed to outmaneuver both RCB and Mumbai to secure the 29-year-old.
The rivalry between RCB and Delhi Capitals continued during the bidding for Richa Ghosh, but this time RCB came out on top, signing the Indian hitter for 1.9 crore. Similarly, Mumbai Indians spent 1.9 crore to acquire Pooja Vastrakar, as Delhi and UP backed away once the price reached that level.
Mumbai Indians successfully beat out competition from Delhi Capitals and RCB to sign the captain of the Indian team, Harmanpreet Kaur, for 1.8 crore.