Media365
NEW DELHI: The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega-auction began on Thursday with 276 players listed to go under the hammer. The event opened with a surprise when Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy went unsold. She was the first player in the auction, with a base price of Rs 50 lakh, but none of the five franchises placed a bid.Healy, the Australian captain, recently suffered a calf injury during the women’s World Cup, which caused her to miss league matches against England and South Africa. She has also dealt with a finger injury in the past. Franchises are understood to be unsure about her fitness for the upcoming WPL season.
She was bought for INR 70 lakh by UP Warriorz in 2023.The auction features a wide age range. The youngest players are 16-year-olds Deeya Yadav and Bharati Singh, while former South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail is the oldest at 37.Each franchise can assemble a squad of up to 18 players. Across the five teams, a total of 73 slots are available, including 23 overseas slots.Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, and three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals (DC) have retained the maximum quota of five players and have no RTM available.
