The defending champions of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), made headlines at the mini-auction held in Bengaluru on Sunday by acquiring uncapped all-rounder Prema Rawat for a whopping Rs 1.2 crores. The young talent, who played a pivotal role in Mussoorie Thunders’ triumph in the inaugural Uttarakhand Premier League, was hotly contested between RCB and Delhi Capitals (DC) before RCB secured her services.
Prema Rawat emerged as one of the standout uncapped players in the auction. Her impressive performance in the Uttarakhand Premier League, where she claimed four wickets in three matches, made her a highly sought-after prospect. The bidding war between RCB and DC highlighted her potential, with RCB eventually outbidding their rivals to add Rawat to their squad.
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In another notable deal, 20-year-old spinner N Charani joined the Delhi Capitals for Rs 55 lakhs. However, several players, including Sonal Thakur, Ira Jadhav, Pratika Rawal, S Yashasri, Raghvi Bist, and Australian batter Laura Harris, went unsold in the mini-auction.
Ahead of the new season, all five franchises announced their list of retained players, securing a total of 71 players, including 25 overseas stars, to maintain their core squads. RCB, fresh off their WPL 2024 championship win against Delhi Capitals, retained a solid lineup while looking to strengthen their roster through strategic buys in the auction.
This year, each franchise was allotted a budget of Rs 15 crores, an increase from last season’s Rs 13.5 crores, giving teams more flexibility in building competitive squads.
The mini-auction featured some of the biggest names in women’s cricket. International stars like England captain Heather Knight, New Zealand pacer Lea Tahuhu, and West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin were among the marquee players up for grabs. Indian stalwarts such as Sneh Rana, Poonam Yadav, and Veda Krishnamurthy also attracted significant attention, with bidding for these stars set to conclude on December 15.
Also See: WPL Schedule | WPL Auction / Final Players List
Delhi Capitals (DC): Retained Players: Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, and Titas Sadhu.
Released Players: Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari, Laura Harris, and Poonam Yadav.
Gujarat Giants (GG): Retained Players: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Bharti Fulmali, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Laura Wolvaardt, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Phoebe Litchfield, Priya Mishra, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakil, and Tanuja Kanwer.
Released Players: Kathryn Bryce, Lauren Cheatle, Lea Tahuhu, Sneh Rana, Tarannum Pathan, Trisha Poojitha, and Veda Krishnamurthy.
Mumbai Indians (MI): Retained Players: Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Natalie Sciver, Pooja Vastrakar, S. Sajana, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, and Yastika Bhatia.
Released Players: Fatima Jaffer, Humairaa Kaazi, Isabelle Wong, and Priyanka Bala.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Retained Players: Asha Shobana, Dani Wyatt, Ekta Bisht, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Kate Cross, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S. Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, and Sophie Molineux.
Released Players: Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shraddha Pokarkar, Shubha Satheesh, and Simran Bahadur.
UP Warriorz (UPW): Retained Players: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Gouher Sultana, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Poonam Khemnar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Uma Chetry, and Vrinda Dinesh.
Released Players: Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, S. Yashasri, and Lauren Bell*.
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