The most expensive purchase of the 2026 WPL big auction was star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, while ODI World Cup standouts Shree Charani and Laura Wolvaardt also took home sizable paychecks on Thursday in New Delhi.
With UP Warriorz using the Right to Match (RTM) card to keep the India all-rounder for an incredible Rs 3.20 crore, the seasoned Deepti predictably made the big money. With just Rs 20 lakh more than Smriti Mandhana, she is currently the second-highest-paid Indian player in WPL history.
“We definitely expected price to be in the range of what we saw. It’s the premium what you pay for high quality spin bowling all-rounders and there was no doubt that we wanted Deepti back,” UP Warriorz Director of Cricket Operations Kshemal Waingankar said.
Amelia Kerr, a New Zealand all-rounder, was acquired by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 3 crore, which was one of the largest transactions of the day. The 25-year-old was a part of MI’s 2023 and 2025 championship victories.
Surprisingly, UP Warriorz paid Rs 2.40 crore for seasoned Indian all-rounder Shikha Pandey, who hasn’t played for the country since 2023.
After a fierce bidding battle with the Warriorz, Delhi Capitals acquired left-arm spinner Charani, a vital player in India’s successful World Cup run, for Rs 1.30 crore, nearly five times her base price of Rs 30 lakh.
In keeping with their aggressive strategy, Delhi Capitals outbid Royal Challengers Bengaluru to get West Indian batter Chinelle Henry for Rs 1.30 crore and South African skipper Wolvaardt for Rs 1.10 crore. They also acquired India all-rounder Sneh Rana for Rs 50 lakh.
“In Laura we’ve got a tremendous player who can fill in those shoes. She will add a lot of leadership into the dressing room, but we are very clear that we want to go with an Indian captain,” DC co-owner Parth Jindal said.
With a sum of Rs 14.5 crore, the Warriorz were one of the busiest franchises in the auction. They used RTM cards in addition to Deepti to bring back England’s top spinner Sophie Ecclestone (Rs 85 lakh) and young pace wonder Kranti Gaud (Rs 50 lakh).
By acquiring Harleen Deol for her basic price of Rs 50 lakh, they strengthened their Indian core even more.
India pacer Renuka Singh was acquired by Gujarat Giants for Rs 60 lakh, while RCB acquired South African finisher Nadine de Klerk (Rs 65 lakh) and Indian all-rounders Arundhati Reddy (Rs 75 lakh) and Radha Yadav (Rs 65 lakh).
Among the top choices were the seasoned pair of Sophie Devine and Meg Lanning. After a tough battle with her former squad DC, Lanning, who guided Delhi Capitals to three championships, was acquired by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.90 crore, while Giants paid Rs 2 crore for Devine.
For Rs 1.20 crore, Warriorz have signed rising Australia star Phoebe Litchfield.
