Bengaluru will host a mini-auction of the coveted Women’s Premier League (WPL) on December 15. Franchises with larger budgets from prior seasons will make some significant purchases in the next auction.
After receiving INR 13.5 crore for the previous season, each team now has a total budget of INR 15 crore. A number of talented international cricket players will be the main focus of the auction. The top three players in the international talent pool are Deandra Dottin of the West Indies, Heather Knight of England, and Lea Tahuhu, the pace wonder from New Zealand.
On the domestic scene, it is anticipated that Indian cricket players like as legspinner Poonam Yadav, all-rounder Sneh Rana, and batter Veda Krishnamurthy will attract a lot of interest. Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals, who finished second the previous two seasons, will play with the smallest purse of INR 2.5 crores. The Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, have the largest budget of INR 4.4 crore after struggling in the first two rounds.
With a purse of INR 3.25 crore, the reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have released seven players, including Heather Knight, and have a mix of top players like Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine. Additionally, the team acquired Danni Wyatt-Hodge of England from UP Warriorz in an all-cash deal.
The WPL 2025 edition will take place in February of the following year.
In February and March of 2025, the third WPL season is scheduled to take place over three weeks. Future plans call for the tournament to move to January-February of 2026, coinciding with the new women’s Future Tours Program for the 2025–2029 cycle. While Bengaluru and New Delhi hosted the second season and Mumbai hosted the first, the BCCI hopes to progressively expand to more locations.
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