The five Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises are gearing up for a crucial day at the auction table as they look to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2027 season.
The WPL 2027 player auction is set to take place in Kochi on Wednesday, October 28. A total of 146 players, including 119 Indians and 27 overseas cricketers, will go under the hammer for just 27 available slots across the five franchises.
The auction will begin at 5:30 PM IST at the Grand Hyatt, Kochi, marking the first time the city will host the WPL player auction.
How the WPL 2027 Auction works
The 2027 auction is a mini-auction, with franchises retaining their core squads and bidding to fill vacant slots. Each team has a total salary purse of ₹15 crore, including the amount spent on retained players, leaving different budgets for each franchise.
Each squad can have a maximum of 18 players, including up to six overseas players. Teams can field no more than four overseas players in their playing XI. However, a team is allowed to add a fifth overseas player in the playing XI, provided that fifth player represents an Associate nation.
Drop the one player your team must sign with this purse 👇Catch the #TATAWPLAuction 2027 LIVE on October 28 in Kochi at 5:30 PM 🤩 https://t.co/kmIsEasu2i
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) October 22, 2026
The auction will begin with capped players, followed by batters, all-rounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners. After the accelerated auction, franchises with vacant slots can nominate additional players they wish to bid for. These players will then be brought back into the auction.
Now, let’s look at each franchise’s squad and remaining requirements ahead of the auction.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Purse remaining: ₹1.15 crore
- Slots to fill: 5 (2 overseas)
- Retained: Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Sayali Satghare Lauren Bell, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Prathyoosha Kumar,
- Released: Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, Gautami Naik, Dayalan Hemalatha
The defending champions have retained their core, with Ellyse Perry returning for the 2027 season and Grace Harris moving on. Georgia Voll could partner Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order, while the releases of Gautami and Hemalatha suggest RCB may target an Indian middle-order batter to fill the No. 4 spot. Linsey Smith’s departure could also prompt the franchise to pursue an overseas bowling option to provide cover for Lauren Bell.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
- Purse remaining: ₹90 lakh
- Slots to fill: 6 (0 overseas)
- Retained: Amelie Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tara Norris (traded from UP Warriorz)
- Released: G Kamalini, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth, Kranthi Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha
Mumbai Indians head into the auction with the smallest purse but six slots to fill. Their top priority will be to find a reliable top-order batter. With G Kamalini leaving the squad, MI will need an opening batter who can also keep wicket. Rahila Firdous is the only wicketkeeper among their retained players. Given their limited purse, it is unlikely that Mumbai will pursue Kamalini, whose base price is ₹40 lakh.
Beyond the top order, MI are likely to focus on strengthening their bench, with a fast bowler and a couple of Indian spinners among their potential targets. Mumbai have already filled all their overseas slots after trading in USA left-arm pacer Tara Norris from UP Warriorz earlier this month.
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Delhi Capitals
- Purse remaining: ₹1.10 crore
- Slots to fill: 5 (one overseas)
- Retained: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani, Niki Prasad, Sree Charani, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Deeya Yadav
- Released: Lizelle Lee, Alana King, Taniyaa Bhatia, Sneh Rana, Pragati Singh, Eddla Srujana
Like Mumbai Indians, four-time finalists Delhi Capitals will prioritise finding a wicketkeeper after releasing Lee and Bhatia. Lee’s departure could also prompt Delhi to consider Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu as an opening partner for Shafali Verma. The franchise may also look to sign an Indian spinner who can take on the role Sneh Rana played last season, supporting Sree Charani in the spin department.
Gujarat Giants
- Purse remaining: ₹1.25 crore
- Slots to fill: 3 (one overseas)
- Retained: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jintimani Kalita
- Released: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Aayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Shivani Singh
Gujarat Giants have a largely settled playing XI and could focus on strengthening their pace attack and adding depth to the lower order. The release of Sadhu makes finding a reliable Indian fast bowler a priority, particularly with Renuka Singh Thakur struggling for form and Kashvee Gautam needing dependable cover. Having retained a strong overseas core featuring Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine and Georgia Wareham, the Giants have room for one more overseas player, with Sophie Molineux or Grace Harris among the potential options. They could also consider South African power-hitters Annerie Dercksen and Kayla Reyneke to add firepower to the lower order.
UP Warriorz
- Purse remaining: ₹3.75 crore
- Slots to fill: 8 (3 overseas)
- Retained: Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone
- Released: Kiran Navgire, Chloe Tryon, Amy Jones, Deandra Dottin, Asha Sobhana, Shweta Sehrawat
Warriorz enter the WPL auction with the largest purse once again. The team finished last in 2026 under head coach Abhishek Nayar, who wants a more aggressive batting unit. UPW released several players, including Kiran Navgire, Amy Jones, Shweta Sehrawat, Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon, and Asha Sobhana, leaving them with several key positions to fill. Their main priorities include finding an explosive Indian opener to partner Meg Lanning and acquiring a reliable wicketkeeper-batter. For the keeper role, UPW could consider buying back Sehrawat or targeting options like Uma Chetry, G Kamalini, Taniya Bhatia, Nuzhat Parween, or young Bhavika Ahire. They will also look for an overseas pace-bowling all-rounder, such as Annerie Dercksen or Orla Prendergast.
UPW may target Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Parunika Sisodia, or Sneh Rana to provide middle-order flexibility and bolster their spin attack alongside Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone. Re-signing Asha Sobhana at a lower price remains another option.
Where to Watch the 2027 WPL Auction?
The WPL 2027 auction will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website from 5:30 PM IST on October 28. Television coverage will be available on the Star Sports Network.
