More than 400 players to go under the hammer in the inaugural Women's Premier League Auction

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday that the auction for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League will take place on February 13th, 2023, at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. The cricket regulatory body has made a significant stride forward in the growth of women’s cricket with the launch of the five-team franchise league in March. The first WPL will be held fully in Mumbai from March 4th to March 26th, 2023. The BCCI has confirmed that Brabourne Stadium and D.Y. Patil Stadium would host the WPL 2023, which will feature 22 matches.

Players from all around the world have registered for the major T20 franchise league tournament, which is set to revolutionise women’s cricket. The inaugural Women’s Premier League Player Auction drew 1525 players, with the final list reduced to 409 players. “Out of 409 players, 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players of which 8 players are from associate nations. The total number of capped players are 202, uncapped players are 199 and 8 from associate nations,” the BCCI stated.

Read more: SA20: Squads and broadcasting details for the inaugural season

30 can be foreigners

409 players will be auctioned off, but only 90 slots are available across the five franchises. While 30 of the 90 players are earmarked for overseas cricketers. The auction will begin at 02:30 PM in Mumbai, with the maximum base price for players set at INR 50 Lakh. The top category has 24 players, including Indian talents like skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, her deputy Smriti Mandhana, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, and India’s Under-19 T20 World Cup-winning captain Shafali Verma.

Meanwhile, 13 international players, including Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine, and Deandra Dottin, have committed to the INR 50 lakh reserve price. While 30 players are on the auction list, the starting bid is INR 40 Lakh. Several players have entered the INR 30 Lakh price bracket. The lowest starting price in the WPL 2023 player auction is INR 10 Lakh. Meanwhile, Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd paid Rs 1,289 crore for the Ahmedabad-based franchise, the most any buyer has paid for one of the five WPL franchises. Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd purchased the Mumbai-based franchise for Rs 912.99 crore, while Capri Global purchased the Lucknow franchise.

Since then, some of the franchises have begun to construct their team management in preparation for the auction. Former England and India captains Charlotte Edwards and Jhulan Goswami lead Mumbai’s coaching team, while former Australian batter Rachael Haynes is the head coach at Adani’s Gujarat Giants, with Mithali Raj as a mentor. There have been no coaching appointments made for the teams from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Lucknow. The inaugural season of the WPL will take place from March 4 to 26, with all 22 matches taking place at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium.