The Women's Premier League (WPL) franchises have announced their retention lists ahead of the upcoming auction, revealing some surprising decisions that will send ripples through the league. Among the major headlines are the releases of World Cup stars Deepti Sharma and Laura Wolvaardt by their respective teams, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants.
Deepti Sharma, who was named Player of the Tournament at the recent ODI World Cup after scoring 215 runs and taking 22 wickets, was released by UP Warriorz. The 28-year-old also won Player of the Tournament in the 2024 WPL season. The Warriorz have opted for a fresh approach, retaining only Shweta Sehrawat, the former Under-19 World Cup winner.
Gujarat Giants have also made a bold move by releasing South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, the top run-scorer at the World Cup after scoring consecutive centuries in the semi-final and final. The Giants have decided to retain the Australian duo of Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, as WPL rules allow teams to keep a maximum of two overseas players.
These releases mean that Sharma and Wolvaardt, along with other prominent players such as Meg Lanning and Amelia Kerr, will be up for grabs at the WPL auction later this month.
Other notable retention decisions saw Mumbai Indians retaining captain Harmanpreet Kaur along with Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, and G Kamalini. Delhi Capitals have retained Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp and Niki Prasad, but released Meg Lanning. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have kept faith in Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil and Richa Ghosh.
With each team having a salary cap of ₹15 crore, the retentions have left some franchises with significantly more spending power than others. UP Warriorz, having retained just one player, have the largest purse available with ₹14.5 crore. Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, who have both retained the maximum of five players, will have ₹5.75 crore to build their squad.
As per WPL regulations, franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. Teams retaining fewer players will have more "Right to Match" (RTM) options available at the auction, allowing them to match the highest bid for a player they previously had in their squad.
The WPL mega auction is scheduled for November 27 in New Delhi.
