New Delhi (TIP)- India’s World Cup-winning allrounder Deepti Sharma finished as the highest paid player at the WPL 2026 Mega Auction, returning to UP Warriorz for INR 3.2 crore through the RTM card after Delhi Capitals made the only opening bid at her base price. The deal made her the joint second-most expensive signing in WPL Auction history. Amelia Kerr was the next big buy of the day, with Mumbai Indians spending over 52% of their purse to buy her at INR 3 crore. Shikha Pandey also enjoyed a big payday, joining UP Warriorz for INR 2.4 crore after a long bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Other individuals with paychecks of one crore or more included Sophie Devine (INR 2 crore to Gujarat Giants), Meg Lanning (INR 1.9 crore to UPW), Phoebe Litchfield (INR 1.2 crore to UPW), Asha Sobhana (INR 1.1 crore to UPW), Laura Wolvaardt (INR 1.1 crore to DC), and DC’s allrounder pair of Sree Charani and Chinelle Henry, both at INR 1.3 crore. Georgia Wareham rounded off that group with a INR 1 crore deal at GG.
A total of 67 players were sold at the mega auction, including 23 overseas players, with teams spending INR 40.8 crore overall.
There were no bids for the likes of Alyssa Healy, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, Alana King, Heather Graham, Uma Chetry and Marufa Akhter.
UPW, coming in with the biggest purse and four RTM cards, expectedly controlled the key moments across the day. They used RTMs to bring back Deepti at a record bid and Sophie Ecclestone at a steal price of INR 85 lakh after DC briefly held the bid. They then outbid DC for Lanning at INR 1.9 crore, before staving off competing bids to add Litchfield at INR 1.2 crore and legspinner Asha Sobhana at INR 1.1 crore to their squad. They used their remaining couple of RTMs to bring back Kiran Navgire for INR 60 lakh (outbidding RCB) and pacer Kranti Gaud for INR 50 lakh (outbidding DC). Later in the accelerated phases, UPW added Chloe Tryon at INR 30 lakh and USA pacer Tara Norris at INR 10 lakh among others.
MI’s decision to go up to INR 3 crore for Kerr, having already retained five players, left them with limited room later on, but they still managed to bring back Shabnim Ismail for INR 60 lakh.
DC opened strongly by signing Wolvaardt for INR 1.1 crore and then pushed hard for Lanning, Deepti and Ecclestone, only to be beaten each time by UPW’s RTMs and higher bids. But they managed to redeem their day with two quality allrounders in Sree Charani and Chinelle Henry, both at INR 1.3 crore, Sneh Rana at INR 50 lakh and lastly Lizelle Lee for INR 30 lakh at the back end of the auction.
GG landed Sophie Devine for INR 2 crore after a long three-way contest with RCB and DC. They also secured Renuka Singh for INR 60 lakh and Titas Sadhu for INR 30 lakh. GG used RTMs to keep Bharti Fulmali at INR 70 lakh and Kashvee Gautam at INR 65 lakh, then brought back Kim Garth for INR 50 lakh. Later in the day, they added Georgia Wareham for INR 1 crore, along with wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia for INR 50 lakh.
Tag: WPL
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WPL Auction: Deepti Sharma costliest buy at Rs 3.2 cr by UP Warriorz
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WPL: All-round show by Ashleigh Gardner in Gujarat Giants win
Gujarat Giants players celebrate the wicket of Delhi Capitals player Marizanne Kapp during 2023 WPL match between Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals in Mumbai, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. PTI
Mumbai (TIP)- Ashleigh Gardner justified her top billing among the overseas recruits with a superb all-round performance that ensured a hard-fought 11-run victory over Delhi Capitals in a Women’s Premier League match, here on Thursday, March 16.
After setting a below-par target of 148 for Delhi Capitals to win, Gujarat fought back well with an inspired show with the ball and in the field to bowl the second-placed team out for 136 in 18.4 overs here on a breezy night at the Brabourne Stadium.
Gardner first scored 51 off 33 balls with the bat and then took 2/19 in 3.4 overs under pressure to ease the road to victory for Giants, who have now leapfrogged RCB once again to stay fourth in five-team table. While DC’s points tally remains 8 from 6 games, GG now have 4 points from six games.
The victory also ensured that Giants remained in contention for a place in the play-offs.
Arundhati Reddy (25) and Shikha Pandey (8 not out) kept Delhi’s hopes alive till late in the game with their 35-run ninth-wicket stand, but Gujarat managed to pull off a favourable result with Kim Garth (4-0-18-2) and Gardner producing impressive spells.
Reddy and Pandey got together when Delhi were exactly 48 runs away from win with more than five overs left and batted sensibly without any element of risk but Garth eventually ended their association. Reddy, who struck four fours in her 17-ball 25, played one shot too many as she was caught at cover when Delhi needed another 13 to win and Gardner took the final wicket of Yadav to seal the game.
Delhi made a shaky start losing dashing batter Shafali Verma (8) and Meg Lanning (18) inside the Powerplay, and also Alice Capsey, who was run out after a promising 11-ball 22 with two fours and as many sixes. While Shafali was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar, Lanning was guilty of playing across the line and was pinned leg-before the wickets off Gujarat Giants captain Sneh Rana.
Capsey was the victim of a poor call for a single with Jemimah Rodrigues when there was none, as she was run out even before she could put her bat down on the ground to drag it in.
Earlier in the first half of the contest, half-centuries from Beth Mooney’s replacement Laura Wolvaardt (57) and Gardner (51 not out) took Gujarat Giants to a total of 147/4 in their 20 overs, after they had crawled to an ordinary 53/2 halfway through.
Source: PTI