CHENNAI: In what will be the first-ever mini-auction of the Women's Premier League, five teams will look out to choose 30 players to complete their squads ahead of the second season in 2023.
With an additional purse of Rs 1.5 crore, every team would look to get the best recruits out of 165 players who have been shortlisted for the mini-auction. Unlike the first auction, where the focus of all franchises was to build their core group, now they would be looking to strengthen the squad going into the second season.
Gujarat Giants (GG), who finished last in the points table in the first season, have indicated the overhaul of their squad as they let go of 11 players, including four overseas. While they have retained the most expensive overseas player, Ashleigh Gardner, they would want to add a few pacers, domestic and international to their roster. GG needs a leg spinner and they could potentially get Amanda-Jade Wellington, who has been exceptional in the franchise leagues all over the world this year. Someone like Danni Wyatt could fill the explosive opener's slot made available after GG decided to let go of Sophia Dunkley. Unlike other teams, the GG needs to rebuild their core and the mini-auction is a tricky place to do the same.
After GG, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have the most slots to fill as they will look forward to picking seven players, including three overseas recruits. Under new head coach Luke Williams, who recently helped Adelaide Strikers win their second consecutive WBBL title, RCB might eye pacer Shabnim Ismail, who played for UP Warriorz in the first season. Along with a South African pacer, RCB might add some local firepower and may recruit Veda Krishnamurthy to help the youngsters in the squad with her experience.
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, who ended her WBBL09 campaign with 552 runs and nine wickets and won the Player of the Tournament award, could fit into UP Warriorz (UPW) plans. An explosive opener paired with captain Alyssa Healy could give them a left-hand right-hand combination at the top. Athapaththu's off-spin could come in handy in the Indian conditions. If UPW wants to go for a domestic player to take the opener spot as they have only one overseas player to add, they could invest in S Meghana. Kashvee Gautam could also fit in as a pacer who can swing the ball and hit it long as well.
The finalists from the first season Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have retained most of their core players, so they might want to acquire players for the long term. Both teams have enough experienced domestic and international experienced players that they might opt for upcoming players. The U19 World Cup champion Mannat Kashyap could fit in either of these teams as she was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in that tournament and has also recently received her maiden national call-up for the senior team.
Either way, it will be interesting to see teams outsmart each other with the limited purse and player pool available. This auction will also tell a lot about the brand and the culture of cricket each franchise is looking for.
WPL Auction in numbers
Team
Salary cap available Available slots Overseas slots DC 2.25 3 1 GG 5.95 10 3 MI 2.1 5 1 RCB 3.35 7 3 UPW 4 5 1 TOTAL 17.65 30 9
