Highlights of WPL Auction 2024: No one bids on Dottin or Athapaththu, and Kashvee Gautam becomes the most expensive uncapped purchase.
A brief glance at the top recruits from Mumbai’s WPL 2024 mini-auction:
-Australian star Annabel Sutherland went to Delhi Capitals for a price of INR 2 crore.
-India’s Kashvee Gautam was sold to the Gujarat Giants for INR 2 crore.
-Uncapped Vrinda Dinesh was sold to UP Warriorz for INR 1.3 crore.
-Mumbai Indians purchased Shabnim Ismail from South Africa for INR 1.2 crore.
-The Gujarat Giants purchased Phoebe Litchfield, an Australian, for INR 1 crore.
WPL 2024 Auction highlights: In all, 165 players—61 of whom were from outside the country—went up for sale at the second Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction held in Mumbai on Saturday. The WPL 2023 auction had a maximum of 30 places, nine of which were reserved for players from outside the country. The Gujarat Giants strengthened their roster for the next Women’s Premier League by acquiring Phoebe Litchfield, an Australian, for INR 1 crore. Litchfield was the first player selected in the first round of the auction. The Australia star Annabel Sutherland was acquired by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 2 crore after a spectacular deal. There were 109 uncapped players and 56 capped players in the mini-auction.
For ₹2 crore, Kashvee joined GG, but Dottin and Garth didn’t find any buyers at the auction.
For ₹2 crore, Kashvee joined GG, but Dottin and Garth didn’t find any buyers at the auction.(BCCI)
During the WPL 2024 mini-auction, all-rounder Deandra Dottin of the West Indies, who had the highest reserve price of ₹50 lakh, was not sold. Ireland’s Kim Garth, who was ranked top in the WPL auction in Mumbai, did not sell either. The Gujarat Giants decided to bid a hefty sum at the auction for Kashvee Gautam, the rising star from India. Gautam turned became the most costly uncapped purchase in WPL auction history. Ahead of the WPL 2024 season, GG paid INR 2 crore to sign the uncapped Indian cricket player.
Gujarat Giants, who finished with a wooden spoon in the previous season, brought the largest purse to the WPL mini-auction. The Giants had INR 5.95 crores in their coffers, and ten spots were up for grabs to restructure the team in time for the WPL in 2024. The Mumbai Paltan paid INR 1.2 crore to sign South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail, whereas the defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) only had INR 2.1 crore. In the accelerated portion of the auction, RCB signed Sophie Molineux to complete their roster.
At the auction, Bangalore also secured Kate Cross for INR 30 lakh and Georgia Wareham for INR 40 lakh. Not even in the expedited phase of the Mumbai event, Chamari Athapaththu, the skipper of Sri Lanka, found takers. India’s Veda Krishnamurthy was signed by RCB for INR 30 lakh in the last round. In addition to Dottin and Athapaththu, the unsold list included Kim Garth, Amy Jones, Punam Raut, Tammy Beaumont, Lea Tahuhu, Alana King, Amanda-Jade Wellington, and Nicola Carey.
