Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland and uncapped Indian pacer Kashvee Gautam attracted the biggest bids of Rs 2 crores each from Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Giants (GG) respectively while another uncapped India batter Vrinda Dinesh from Karnataka was bought by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.3 crores at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction 2024 on Saturday. All 30 slots, including nine overseas players across all the teams, were filled in the auction.
Here is what the final squads look like for all the teams:
Delhi Capitals
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2 crore), Aparna Mondal (Rs 10 lakh), Ashwani Kumari (Rs 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Delhi Capitals had a strong squad in the last season as well. The only shortcoming was a back-up to wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia. They had released Aparna Mondal, who they brought back at base price. But they did not opt for Uma Chetry, a player from Assam known for scoring quick runs. Sutherland could be a reliable option when Marizanne Kapp is rested.
Full squad: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland*, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari
Gujarat Giants
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Phoebe Litchfield (Rs 1 crore), Meghna Singh (Rs 30 lakh), Trisha Poojitha (Rs 10 lakh), Kashvee Gautam (Rs 2 crore), Priya Mishra (Rs 20 lakh), Lauren Cheatle (Rs 30 lakh), Kathryn Bryce (Rs 10 lakh), Mannat Kashyap (Rs 10 lakh), Veda Krishnamurthy (Rs 30 lakh), Tarannum Pathan (Rs 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Gujarat had a solid auction which has left them with a lot of all-round options, a batter in Lithfield and an express pacer in Kashvee Gautam. They did not opt for the Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu though, Scotland all-rounder Kathryn Bryce. Veda gives them experience in the middle order.
Full squad: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield*, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle*, Kathryn Bryce*, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan
Mumbai Indians
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Shabnim Ismail (Rs 1.2 crore), S Sajana (Rs 15 lakh), Amandeep Kaur (Rs 10 lakh), Fatima Jaffer (Rs 10 lakh), Keerthana Balakrishnan (Rs 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Mumbai got the South African legend Ismail on board, most likely as a backup for Issy Wong of England. They were chasing a big all-rounder but lost the bidding battle to DC for Sutherland. MI has got wrist-spinner Amandeep Kaur, who adds a surprise element since there are not many in the women’s circuit in India. The defending champions have added more bowling options with Fatima Jaffer and Keerthana Balakrishnan.
Full squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail*, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Georgia Wareham (Rs 40 lakh), Kate Cross (Rs 30 lakh), Ekta Bisht (Rs 60 lakh), Shubha Satheesh (Rs 10 lakh), S Meghana (Rs 30 lakh), Simran Bahadur (Rs 30 lakh), Sophie Molineux (Rs 30 lakh)
Auction performance: Georgia Wareham is a like-for-like replacement for Dane van Niekerk – a legspinner, who can also unleash some big hits with the bat in the lower-middle order. Having released Aussie star Megan Schutt, RCB can use Kate’s experience of playing in India. With Ekta and Sophie in the mix, RCB has some reliable left-arm spinners, in place of the released Preeti Bose and Sahana Pawar.
Full squad: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*, Georgia Wareham*, Kate Cross*, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux*
UP Warriorz
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought: Danni Wyatt (Rs 30 lakh), Vrinda Dinesh (Rs 1.3 crore), Poonam Khemnar (Rs 10 lakh), Saima Thakor (Rs 10 lakh), Gouher Sultana (Rs 10 lakh)
Auction performance: Danni Wyatt was a steal at her base price, much like Alyssa Healy was at the previous auction. After WPL 2023, Indian batting alternatives were clearly on their thoughts, which is why they paid a high price for Vrinda Dinesh. Rajeshwari Gayakwad has an experienced backup in Gouher Sultana. Warriorz entered the auction with the second-largest purse and emerged with the most unspent funds. Their attitude to bringing in extra batting options was perplexing, especially given that Ismail had been discharged.
Full squad: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*, Danni Wyatt*, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana.
‘*’ – for Overseas players.
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