India’s women’s franchise-based cricket league, i.e., Women’s Premier League (WPL), is set for a mega auction after three successful seasons on Thursday, November 27. This will only be the second mega auction for the tournament after its inaugural season in 2023. All five participating teams were given the option to retain up to five players maximum ahead of the mega auction, where three-time finalists Delhi Capitals and two-time champions Mumbai Indians used all five spots, while 2024 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained four players. Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz retained the least number of players, i.e., just two and one, respectively.
Indian world champion players in focus
Despite having a stellar performance in the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, many members of champions India’s side were released by their squads and will be taking the centre stage during the mega auction. The list will be headed by Women’s World Cup Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma, spinner Shree Charani, pacer Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, and all-rounder Harleen Deol.
Meg Lanning and Lauren Bell lead the overseas list
While Indian players are expected to take centre stage, many big overseas names will also be going under the hammer. Former Aussie skipper Meg Lanning, who led Delhi Capitals to the finals three seasons in a row, will be headlining the list alongside English pacer Lauren Bell. South African skipper and top scorer of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, Laura Wolvaardt, will also be one of the most in-demand players during the auction.
WPL 2026 mega auction rules
The WPL 2026 mega auction rules allow each franchise to retain up to five players ahead of the auction, with certain limits on player categories to ensure competitive balance. A franchise can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, or two uncapped Indian players, and if they retain the full five, at least one retained player must be an uncapped Indian. The retention cost for players follows a fixed slab structure, where the first retained player is valued at ₹3.5 crore, the second at ₹2.5 crore, the third at ₹1.75 crore, the fourth at ₹1 crore, and the fifth at ₹50 lakh. These amounts are deducted from each team's ₹15 crore auction purse, which means a team retaining five players will have ₹5.75 crore left for the auction. Teams can choose to pay more than the slab value for certain players, but the extra amount will be taken from the remaining purse.
Also Read
 "All you need to know about WPL 2026 retentions ahead of mega auction")
 "Jon Lewis")
 "Devi Prasad Shetty, founder and chairman Narayana Health")
RTM card rule explained
The auction introduces the Right-to-Match (RTM) cards for the first time in WPL. The RTM option allows teams to re-sign players released from their squad by matching the highest bid during the auction, but the number of RTMs available depends on how many players a team has retained. If a team retains all five players, they lose the RTM option altogether. A team retaining four players gets one RTM, retaining three players gets two RTMs, and so forth, up to five RTMs for a team that retains no players.
WPL 2026 full list of released and retained players
Delhi Capitals
Three-time finalists Delhi Capitals retained five players ahead of the mega auction, which means they will head to the auction with just ₹5.75 crore in their purse to fill the remaining 13 spots and will have no RTM card available.
Retained players
| Player | Country |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | India |
| Shafali Verma | India |
| Marizanne Kapp | South Africa |
| Annabel Sutherland | Australia |
| Niki Prasad | India |
Released players
| Player | Country |
| Meg Lanning | Australia |
| Sneha Deepthi | India |
| Alice Capsey | England |
| Arundhati Reddy | India |
| Jess Jonassen | Australia |
| Minnu Mani | India |
| N Charani | India |
| Shikha Pandey | India |
| Nandini Kashyap | India |
| Sarah Bryce | Scotland |
| Taniyaa Bhatia | India |
| Radha Yadav | India |
| Titas Sadhu | India |
Mumbai Indians
The two-time champions Mumbai Indians also retained five players, which means, just like Delhi Capitals, they will also head into the mega auction with ₹5.75 crore in their purse and no RTM options.
Retained players
| Player | Country |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | India |
| Natalie Sciver-Brunt | England |
| Amanjot Kaur | India |
| G Kamalini | India |
| Hayley Matthews | West Indies |
Released players
| Player | Country |
| Amandeep Kaur | India |
| Amelia Kerr | New Zealand |
| Chloe Tryon | South Africa |
| Jintimani Kalita | India |
| Sathyamoorty Keerthana | India |
| Parunika Sisodia | India |
| Sajeevan Sajana | India |
| Yastika Bhatia | India |
| Saika Ishaque | India |
| Shabnim Ismail | South Africa |
| Nadine de Klerk | South Africa |
| Sanskriti Gupta | India |
| Akshita Maheshwari | India |
| Danielle Gibson | England |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The 2024 WPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained four players ahead of the WPL 2026 season, which means they will head into the mega auction with ₹6.15 crore remaining in their purse and one RTM card.
Retained players
| Player | Country |
| Smriti Mandhana | India |
| Ellyse Perry | Australia |
| Richa Ghosh | India |
| Shreyanka Patil | India |
Released players
| Player | Country |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | England |
| Sabbhineni Meghana | India |
| Nuzhat Parween | India |
| Georgia Wareham | Australia |
| Kanika Ahuja | India |
| Sneh Rana | India |
| Renuka Singh | India |
| Ekta Bisht | India |
| Pramila Rawat | India |
| VJ Joshitha | India |
| Raghvi Bist | India |
| Jagravi Pawar | India |
| Charlie Dean | England |
| Heather Graham | Australia |
| Kim Garth | Australia |
Gujarat Giants
The Gujarat-based franchise retained just two players from their previous squad and will now head to the auction with the second-most biggest purse of ₹9 crore and three RTM cards available.
Retained players
| Player | Country |
| Ashleigh Gardner | Australia |
| Beth Mooney | Australia |
Released players
| Player | Country |
| Bharti Fulmali | India |
| Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa |
| Phoebe Litchfield | Australia |
| Priya Mishra | India |
| Dayalan Hemalatha | India |
| Harleen Deol | India |
| Sayali Satghare | India |
| Tanuja Kanwer | India |
| Shabnam Shakil | India |
| Mannat Kashyap | India |
| Meghna Singh | India |
| Kashvee Gautam | India |
| Deandra Dottin | West Indies |
| Simran Shaikh | India |
| Danielle Gibson | England |
| Prakashika Naik | India |
UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz, after three underwhelming seasons, decided to release all big names and retained just one capped player, which cost them only ₹50 lakh. This means they will have the biggest purse of ₹14.5 crore with them along with four RTM options.
Retained players
| Player | Country |
| Shweta Sehrawat | India |
Released players
| Player | Country |
| Kiran Navgire | India |
| Vrinda Dinesh | India |
| Alyssa Healy | Australia |
| Georgia Voll | Australia |
| Deepti Sharma | India |
| Grace Harris | Australia |
| Poonam Khemnar | India |
| Sophie Ecclestone | England |
| Tahlia McGrath | Australia |
| Uma Chetry | India |
| Saima Thakor | India |
| Gouher Sultana | India |
| Anjali Sarvani | India |
| Rajeshwari Gayakwad | India |
| Arushi Goel | India |
| Kranti Goud | India |
| Alana King | Australia |
| Chinelle Henry | West Indies |
 "Auqib Nabi")
