WPL Auction 2024: Everything You Need to Know
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is one of the most exciting and competitive cricket leagues in the world, featuring some of the best female cricketers from different countries. The WPL auction is the event where the teams can buy and sell players to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season.
The WPL auction for 2024 is scheduled to take place on December 9 in Mumbai⁶. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed that a total of 165 players have registered for the auction, including 104 Indian players and 61 overseas players, with 15 hailing from associate nations⁵.
There are thirty spots available on the auction list, which are split among the five league-playing teams. Nine of these are set aside for players from other countries. West Indies’ Deandra Dottin and Australia’s Kim Garth stand out as the only players with the highest base price of INR 50 lakh⁵.
How does the auction work?
The auction process is similar to a traditional cricket auction, where each team has a budget to spend on buying players. The base price of each player is determined by their performance in international matches and domestic leagues. The base price can be increased or decreased by a certain percentage depending on various factors such as age, experience, form, etc.
The teams can bid for any number of players within their budget, but they cannot exceed it. The bidding starts from INR 10 lakh and goes up to INR 50 lakh or more. The highest bidder gets the player they want, while the lowest bidder gets a consolation prize.
The teams can also retain up to 60 players across their squads, including 21 overseas cricketers. These retained players do not count towards their budget and are automatically added to their team.
Who are some of the top performers in WPL?
Some of the top performers in WPL are:
– **Smriti Mandhana**: The Indian opener has been one of the most consistent and prolific run-scorers in women’s cricket. She has scored over 4000 runs across all formats at an average of over 50. She has also taken over 100 catches behind the stumps. For INR, she was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore. 3.4 crore (USD 415,000 approx) at last year’s auction.
– **Harmanpreet Kaur**: The Indian all-rounder has been a key player for her team and country. She has scored over 3000 runs across all formats at an average of over 40 and has taken over 80 wickets at an economy rate of under six. She was sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 1.8 crore (USD 220,000 approx) at last year’s auction.
– **Sophie Devine**: The New Zealand spinner-batter has been one of the most explosive and versatile batters in women’s cricket. She has scored over 2000 runs across all formats at an average of over 40 and has taken over 50 wickets at an economy rate of under seven. For INR, she was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore. H50 lakh (USD 61,000 approx) at last year’s auction.
– **Ashleigh Gardner**: The Australian all-rounder has been one of the most destructive hitters in women’s cricket. She has scored over 2000 runs across all formats at an average of over 40 and has taken over 60 wickets at an economy rate of under eight. For INR, she was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore. 3.2 crore (USD 390,000 approx) at last year’s auction.
– **Ellyse Perry**: The Australian all-rounder is widely regarded as one of the best cricketers in women’s history. She has scored over 4000 runs across all formats at an average of over 50 and has taken over 100 wickets at an economy rate of under seven.She was sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR1.7 crore (USD207,000 approx) at last year’s auction.
What are some of the new signings in WPL?
Some of the new signings in WPL are:
– **Kashvee Gautam**: The Indian batter-bowler is one of the most promising talents in women’s cricket. She made her international debut earlier this year against Australia and scored a half-century on debut.She was bought by Gujarat Giants for INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approx) from Delhi Capitals².
– **Annabel Sutherland**: The Australian batter-bowler is another young star who impressed everyone with her performances against.
Latest updates click here