Uncapped Indian fast bowler Kashvee Gautam (Gujarat Giants) and Australia allrounder Annabel Sutherland (Delhi Capitals) attracted the joint-highest bids of INR 2 crore (US$ 240,000 approx.) at the auction ahead of the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL). Another uncapped Indian player, batter Vrinda Dinesh, who played for India A against England A, was picked up by UP Warriorz as the next-most expensive buy.
Importantly, all 30 slots, including nine for overseas, were filled and here is how the five WPL squads look like at the end of it.
Delhi Capitals
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Annabel Sutherland (INR 2 crore), Aparna Mondal (INR 10 lakh), Ashwani Kumari (INR 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Even before the inaugural WPL, Capitals had a very strong squad. The only perceived shortcoming was a back-up wicketkeeper to Taniya Bhatia. They had released wicketkeeper Aparna Mondal, who they brought back at base price. Not opting for Uma Chetry, the Assam player who can score quickly, might be a missed opportunity.
Capitals managed to get Australia allrounder Annabel Sutherland after an intense bidding war with Mumbai Indians, which can be considered a win. She is a reliable option in case Marizanne Kapp needs to be rested, and is, in any case, a strong all-round option in the squad.
Full squad: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland*, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari
Gujarat Giants
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Phoebe Litchfield (INR 1 crore), Meghna Singh (INR 30 lakh), Trisha Poojitha (INR 10 lakh), Kashvee Gautam (INR 2 crore), Priya Mishra (INR 20 lakh), Lauren Cheatle (INR 30 lakh), Kathryn Bryce (INR 10 lakh), Mannat Kashyap (INR 10 lakh), Veda Krishnamurthy (INR 30 lakh), Tarannum Pathan (INR 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Giants will be satisfied with how their squad looks on paper - multiple all-round options plus a gun batter and an express fast bowler in Kashvee Gautam. That they opted for Phoebe Litchfield over Chamari Athapaththu reflects their batting worries from WPL 2023 and a bid to rectify that with a solid player.
Opting for Scotland allrounder Kathryn Bryce, an associate player, gives them the opportunity to play five overseas players in the XI. Veda Krishnamurthy's return, a surprise, gives them experience in the middle order.
Full squad: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield*, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle*, Kathryn Bryce*, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan
Mumbai Indians
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Shabnim Ismail (INR 1.2 crore), S Sajana (INR 15 lakh), Amandeep Kaur (INR 10 lakh), Fatima Jaffer (INR 10 lakh), Keerthana Balakrishnan (INR 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Mumbai went all out to get Shabnim Ismail on board, likely as a back-up to Issy Wong. They also wanted to get a big-ticket allrounder, but lost Sutherland to Capitals.
Wristspinner Amandeep Kaur adds the surprise element, given there are not many of her ilk in the women's circuit. Already a strong, title-winning outfit, Mumbai have added more bowling options in Fatima Jaffer and Keerthana Balakrishnan.
Full squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail*, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Georgia Wareham (INR 40 lakh), Kate Cross (30 lakh), Ekta Bisht (INR 60 lakh), Shubha Satheesh (INR 10 lakh), S Meghana (INR 30 lakh), Simran Bahadur (INR 30 lakh), Sophie Molineux (INR 30 lakh)
Auction performance: Georgia Wareham is a like-for-like replacement for Dane van Niekerk - a legspinner who can hit big in the lower-middle order. Having released Megan Schutt, Kate Cross is a safe option for RCB with all her experience of having played in India.
With Ekta Bisht and Sophie Molineux in the mix, RCB's desire to have reliable left-arm spin - in place of the released Preeti Bose and Sahana Pawar - has been fulfilled.
Full squad: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*, Georgia Wareham*, Kate Cross*, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux*
UP Warriorz
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Danni Wyatt (INR 30 lakh), Vrinda Dinesh (INR 1.3 crore), Poonam Khemnar (INR 10 lakh), Saima Thakor (INR 10 lakh), Gouher Sultana (INR 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Managed to get Danni Wyatt at her base price, a steal just like Alyssa Healy was at the last auction. Indian batting options were clearly on their mind after WPL 2023, which explains them shelling out big bucks for Vrinda Dinesh. Gouher Sultana is an experienced back-up for Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
Warriorz came into the auction with the second-biggest purse and were left with the most unusued money after the auction. Their approach to getting in more batting options was baffling especially because they had released Ismail.
Full squad: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*, Danni Wyatt*, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana