Harmanpreet To Play For Mumbai Indians, RCB Picks Mandhana: All About WPL Auction

The historical women’s Indian Premiere League is all set to take centre stage coming March and we couldn’t be more elevated. With the Indian women’s cricket team not just doing outstandingly well the past few years but also getting recognised for the same, it was about time they got the same levelling opportunities as their male counterparts and what better way for a tournament as big as the IPL to enable the same. On Monday, the auctions are being held for the first time in Mumbai with several big names from the industry gearing up.

The IPL auction which is currently underway has already begun with massive picks as top franchisees Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore picking big names from Indian women's cricket. The five teams set to play are Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz.

WPL Auction 2023

The much-awaited WPL is all set to kickstart in March and the Monday auction has triggered a new level of excitement among fans of the game. The auction, which is being presided over by Mallika Sagar, started with some big names being picked by top franchisees.

The player auction includes a total of 409 players out of which Indian players will round up 246 and foreign players 163. This will include eight players from associate nations as well. The players are to be categorised into seven categories: rising players, hitters, all-rounders, marquee players, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers, and spin bowlers.

The marquee players include skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma, and all-rounders Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Ellyse Perry, and Deandra Dottin.

As per recent updates, Smriti Mandhana has been picked by RCB for 3.4 crores. Harmanpreet Kaur was picked by Mumbai Indians for 1.8 crores, Sophie Divine by RCB for 50 Lakh rupees, Ashleigh Garnere by GG for 3.4 crores, Ellyse Perry by RCB for 1.7 crores and Sophie Ecclestone by UPW for 1.8 crores. 

Criteria for auction:

Maximum purse: 12 crore rupees

Slots required to be filled: Minimum players - 15, Maximum players - 18

International players' slots entitled: 6

50 Lakh Rupees base price players