Cricket fever gripped New Delhi on November 27, 2025, as the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction unfolded with plenty of drama and big-money moves. With just weeks to go until the fourth season kicks off in January 2026, all eyes were on the 276 players—featuring 194 Indians and 82 overseas names—hoping to land franchise deals for the coming year.
Fans tuned in via Star Sports and JioHotstar from 3:30 pm IST to catch live updates as all five franchises moved quickly to shape their lineups. Each team needed to fill at least 15 but no more than 18 slots, with a maximum of 73 spots available league-wide (including up to 23 overseas players).
Deepti Sharma Headlines Frenzied Auction Action
The spotlight of the day shone brightly on India’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma. She kicked off bidding at her base price of Rs 50 lakh, quickly drawing interest. While the Delhi Capitals made the initial—and, for a moment, only—bid, UP Warriorz swooped in with their Right to Match (RTM) card to keep Deepti in the fold. The Capitals weren’t done yet, though, hiking their offer to a whopping Rs 3.2 crore, before UP Warriorz again matched it, securing Deepti as the biggest signing of the day.
It’s a staggering sum and sets a new standard for Indian women cricketers in franchise auctions. UP Warriorz’s approach was aggressive overall, given they had the largest auction purse—INR 14.5 crore—having retained only Shweta Sehrawat before the auction and keeping four valuable RTM cards handy.
Shock as Alyssa Healy, Laura Wolvaardt Face Tough Auction Day
One of the day’s biggest surprises was the lack of interest in Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Alyssa Healy, who shockingly went unsold during the marquee round. Out of the eight marquee players, seven found teams, but Healy and, to some extent, Laura Wolvaardt (released by Gujarat Giants despite previous heroics) faced an unexpectedly cool reception from franchises.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals made headlines by signing Sree Charani for Rs 1.3 crore, while multiple capped Indian and overseas players fetched steady bidding wars throughout the afternoon.
A late twist came as Jess Jonassen, a pivotal figure for Delhi Capitals over three WPL seasons, was ruled out of the auction pool due to injury, trimming the list from 277 to 276 players being auctioned across 39 sets.
Looking ahead, the anticipation now shifts to the tournament opener on January 9, 2026, at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. While Navi Mumbai and Vadodara remain frontrunners to host the full event, today’s auction has ensured every team will head into the new season with renewed hope, fresh faces, and a few headline-worthy shocks.
