WPL sides gearing themselves up for mega auction which will be held at the end of November ahead of the 2026 season.
WPL sides set for major revamp at mega auction.
The BCCI has decided to arrange a massive auction in advance of the 2026 season, which will result in a redesign of the five WPL franchises. The massive auction, which is anticipated to take place by the end of November, has been discussed informally with the franchises.
The WPL has not yet confirmed to the franchisees how many right-to-match (RTM) card possibilities will be available, the number of retentions, the auction purse, or the retention slabs. The WPL committee will make those final decisions, but there is no indication of when they will likely convene. Although the BCCI had previously said that the tournament will take place in the January–February window, the dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been revealed.
The Mumbai Indians were the first winners of the five-team WPL, the most lucrative competition in women’s cricket, when it was introduced in 2023. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the title in 2024, and Mumbai is the current champion.
It is believed that the Delhi Capitals, Mumbai, and RCB—who had lost finalists in each of the WPL’s three seasons thus far—were against the mega auctions. It has been revealed that all three teams argued that since they have put a lot of effort into building their teams over the previous three seasons, forcing them to deconstruct at a time when the WPL brand is beginning to take hold could backfire.
However, it is believed that a massive auction is supported by the two other teams, the Gujarat Giants and the UP Warriorz. Both of these teams are eager to rebuild and reassemble their teams because they have never advanced to the final. While acknowledging the three franchises’ reluctance to participate in the mega auction, one WPL official stated that it was crucial to guarantee the tournament featured five competitive teams; otherwise, the imbalance could only damage the league’s reputation.
At the same time, the WPL would guarantee that teams would still have the chance to keep their core, this official noted. The WPL may be closer to five players, despite the fact that several teams wanted to be permitted to keep at least six or seven.
Because of the financial rewards for players, the WPL has been seen as a game-changer in women’s cricket. Viacom 18 purchased the WPL broadcast rights in 2023 for INR 951 crore, or around USD 116.7 million, for the 2023–2027 timeframe. The value per match was INR 7.09 core, or roughly USD 866,000. At INR 3.2 cr ($415,000 approximately), India’s great batter Smrit Mandhana, who was the first player to be purchased at the first WPL auction (2023), continues to be the most costly purchase.