MI, RCB, DC oppose WPL mega auction but BCCI brutally ignores protests; event set for November
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It is known that the Women's Premier League auction is to be held at the end of November, ahead of the 2026 season. The five WPL franchises are all set to revamp their squads to build a strengthened side, as it was important to ensure the tournament had no imbalance between squads.
The five-team WPL is the most lucrative event in the history of women's cricket. The Women's Premier League was started as part of a special initiative to promote women's cricket, as it was launched in 2023.
The Mumbai Indians emerged as the champions of the inaugural season, while Royal Challengers Bangalore went on to win the title in the second edition of the women's championship. The Mumbai Indians are currently the defending champions, having won it back in the latest season of 2025.
WPL mega auction to see major revamp within the five franchises
The five franchises in the WPL are set to revamp their squads ahead of the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League. ESPNcricinfo has reported that the franchises have been told informally about the mega-auction, which is expected to be held later this year, in November.
Though the franchises are awaiting confirmation from the WPL organizers on the number of retentions, the auction purse, the retention slabs, and how many right-to-match (RTM) card options would be available. However, as of now, there has been no confirmation on when they are likely to meet.
Even the dates for the WPL 2026 are yet to be announced, although the BCCI had indicated earlier that the tournament would be held in the window between January and February.
Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz support the mega-auction
It is understood that the Mumbai Indians and the RCB Women, along with the Delhi Capitals, are the three teams that are not in favour of the mega-auction. They have reasoned that they have worked hard to build their squads, since, in the past three seasons, they have established themselves as a brand.
However, the two other franchises in the competition, which have not had great results in the history of the Women's tournament, the Gujarat Giants and the UP Warriorz have supported the need for a mega-auction. They are highly eager to overhaul their squads and rebuild ahead of the next season.
One of the WPL official sides said that while they understood the reservations of the three franchises against the mega auction, it was important to ensure the tournament had five strong teams; otherwise, the imbalance could only harm the brand.
WPL franchises would have the opportunity to retain their core
One of the WPL officials has pointed out that, at the same time, the WPL would ensure that teams would still have the opportunity to retain their core squad. It is understood that while some teams were in favour of being allowed to retain at least six or seven players.
The WPL could end up with about five retentions. Moreover, what needs to be worked on as part of the retentions is how many of these can be RTMs and how many could be used before the team goes into the mega-auctions. The doubt also remains on the number of capped and uncapped players.
The RTM rule has never been used in WPL auctions until now. India's star batter, Smriti Mandhana, who was bought for a huge INR 3.2 Crore at the inaugural WPL auction, remains the most expensive player to date.
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WPL Women's Premier League (WPL) Royal Challengers Bangalore Women Mumbai Indians Women Delhi Capitals Women Gujarat Giants Women UP Warriorz
