The Women’s Premier League will hold it’s mega auction next month ahead of Season 4. After 3 seasons, the WPL is heading towards a reset with major changes in order. The WPL 2026 Auction auction will reportedly take place in the November 26-27 window in New Delhi. Like in the IPL, each team will be allowed a maximum of 5 retentions.
The WPL Auction will see franchises have a total purse of Rs 15 crore. Franchises have been asked to submit their list of retentions by November 5. The team’s first retention will cost the franchise Rs 3.5 crore while the fifth and final retention will cost Rs 50 lakh. The 5 retentions are inclusive of RTM cards. The more the number of retentions, the lesser RTM options the teams will have. Each team is allowed to retain three capped Indian players and not more than two overseas stars. Each team can retain a maximum of two uncapped players.
Here, at Insidesport.IN, we look at predicted retentions by each WPL franchise ahead of mega auction:
Mumbai Indians
Two-time champions Mumbai Indians stand to lose the most from this mega auction. The franchise have a stacked roster which will be prone to interest from rival franchises in the mega auction. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the most certain retention, having led the team to two title wins.
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews are likely to be their overseas retentions. Sciver-Brunt averages 46.68 with the bat and has 32 wickets in 29 matches in WPL. She is the leading run getter in tournament history with Matthews 5th on that list. The West Indies is atop the chart for most wickets, with Brunt at 5th. Retaining the two best all-rounders in league history should be straightforward.
With a cap on two overseas retentions, Amelia Kerr will head to the auction table. Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia and Saika Ishaque are among contenders to be retained. The two-time champions will aim to hold onto most of their talent and build around them in the WPL auction.
MI Predicted Retentions: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia/Saika Ishaque
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The only other franchise to win the WPL title. Captain Smriti Mandhana will be the top retention pick and will hope to carry her current form into the new season. Ellyse Perry is the other obvious choice, given her match winning ability. The Australian is the second leading run getter in tournament history and has also chipped in with 14 wickets.
Wicketkeer Richa Ghosh should find a retention slot. She remains a vital lower cog for RCB and her striking ability makes her a rare breed in Indian cricket. it could be a battle between Shreyanka Patil and Sneh Rana for one spot. Patil is a RCB fan and has performed admirably, so has Rana since joining the franchise. Rana’s ability with the bat makes her a better retention asset than the young leg spinner. Another potential retention could be Renuka Singh Thakur, despite her struggles last year.
RCB Predicted Retentions: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Georgia Wareham/Renuka Singh
Delhi Capitals
Three finals in three seasons only to end up on the wrong side of the result each year. The mega auction provides Delhi a chance to shuffle and regain some luck. Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma are the most successful opening combination in the tournament and will likely be retained. The duo find themselves 3rd and 4th in the leading run-getters list. Marizanne Kapp should seal the other overseas spot, having contributed with her all round efforts.
It gets trickier for Delhi after that. Jemimah Rodrigues is coveted option, but struggled for runs last year. Shikha Pandey has been a mainstay throughout 3 seasons, while Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani and Radha Yadav are all among options.
DC Predicted Retentions: Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey/ Arundhati Reddy
UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz will welcome the mega auction with a chance to reset their WPL course. The franchise has struggled in three seasons with major chinks in their armour. Nonetheless, Warriorz do boast of quality talent they might want to keep hold of.
Captain Deepti Sharma is India’s premier all-rounder and is certain to remain with the franchise. Alyssa Healy’s future with the franchise remains a doubt given her unavailability over the past couple of season. Should she remain fit and available, she is certain to be retained. Should Healy not be retained, there is an argument for Grace Harris or Tahlia McGrath to grab that spot. Sophie Ecclestone is also primed to be held onto, given she is the No.1 ranked bowler in the world. Kranti Goud’s emergence has been a high point for the team, while they could continue to persist with Shweta Sehrawat.
UPW Predicted Retentions: Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy/Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud
Gujarat Giants
Like UP Warriorz, the WPL Auction offers Gujarat a chance at getting things right. Australian duo Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner as retentions set in stone for the Ahmedabad franchise. An argument could be made for GG going with only two retentions to maximise their options in auction. Among potential other retentions could be Harleen Doel, Kashvee Gautam and Bharti Fulmali.
GG Predicted Retentions: Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali/Harleen Deol
