New Delhi: Star India all-rounder Deepti Sharma emerged as the costliest buy of the 2026 WPL mega auction while other ODI World Cup standouts, Shree Charani and Laura Wolvaardt, also walked away with hefty pay cheques in New Delhi Thursday.
The seasoned Deepti expectedly fetched the big bucks with UP Warriorz using the Right to Match (RTM) card to retain the India all-rounder for a whopping Rs 3.20 crore. She is now the second-highest-paid Indian player in WPL history, just Rs 20 lakh behind Smriti Mandhana.
“We definitely expected price to be in the range of what we saw. It’s the premium what you pay for high quality spin bowling all-rounders and there was no doubt that we wanted Deepti back,” UP Warriorz Director of Cricket Operations Kshemal Waingankar said.
Mumbai Indians made one of the day’s biggest moves by buying New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr for Rs 3 crore. The 25-year-old was part MI’s title winning runs in 2023 and 2025.
UP Warriorz surprisingly shelled out Rs 2.40 crore for the veteran India all-rounder Shikha Pandey, who last played for the national side in 2023.
Left-arm spinner Charani, a key performer in India’s triumphant World Cup run, was snapped up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.30 crore, almost five times her base price of Rs 30 lakh, after an intense bidding battle with the Warriorz.
Delhi Capitals continued their aggressive approach, outbidding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to land South Africa captain Wolvaardt for Rs 1.10 crore and West Indian batter Chinelle Henry (Rs 1.30 crore) while also adding India all-rounder Sneh Rana for Rs 50 lakh.
“In Laura we’ve got a tremendous player who can fill in those shoes. She will add a lot of leadership into the dressing room, but we are very clear that we want to go with an Indian captain,” DC co-owner Parth Jindal said.
The Warriorz, armed with the auction’s largest purse of Rs 14.5 crore, were among the busiest franchises. Along with Deepti, they exercised RTM cards to bring back young pace sensation Kranti Gaud (Rs 50 lakh) and England’s premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone (Rs 85 lakh).
They further bolstered their Indian core by signing Asha Shobhana for Rs 1.10 crore and Harleen Deol for her base price of Rs 50 lakh.
Gujarat Giants bagged India pacer Renuka Singh for Rs 60 lakh, while RCB picked up big-hitting South African finisher Nadine de Klerk (Rs 65 lakh) as well as India all-rounders Arundhati Reddy (Rs 75 lakh) and Radha Yadav (Rs 65 lakh).
The seasoned duo of Meg Lanning and Sophie Devine were also among the marquee picks. Giants bought Devine for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz landed Lanning, who led Delhi Capitals to three finals, for Rs 1.90 crore after a fierce tussle with her former team DC.
The Warriorz also added rising Australian star Phoebe Litchfield for Rs 1.20 crore and Indian batter Pratika Rawal, who will miss the season, for Rs 50 Lakh.
However the bigest shock of the day came as big-hitting Australia captain Alyssa Healy, who missed the 2025 season due to injury and was the first name to go under the hammer, found no takers.
Her compatriot spinner Alana King too went unsold despite being featured in the accelerated round.
As many as 67 players were bought of the 77 available slots.
PTI
