WPL coaches weigh in on shock Alyssa Healy snub at the mega-auction as the Australia captain found no buyers.
WPL coaches explain why they didn’t pick Healy.
Australia’s Alyssa Healy going unsold was one of the main topics of discussion at the WPL 2026 auction. She was the first name selected from the eight-player marquee list to begin the Delhi auction, but no offers came in.
Teams might have been holding off at that moment, giving other players priority and intending to revisit Healy later in the expedited round. However, no team had her on their wishlist for the re-run, so her name did not appear again.
Following the auction, head coach Abhishek Nayar of UP Warriorz (UPW) and assistant coach Anya Shrubsole of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stated their reasons for not placing a bid for Healy. Healy was on the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) roster, but squad “flexibility” took precedence, according to head coach Jonathan Batty.
“Alyssa Healy going unsold was surprising for different reasons,” Nayar said. “When you’re allowed only four overseas players [in the XI], your options are limited, and many teams prefer allrounders in their set-up. It’s a tough situation for someone of her stature.”
Shrubsole said Healy did not fit RCB’s combination. “We have a very strong top order, and Georgia Voll gives us some offspin as well,” she said. “With Richa Ghosh [as a wicketkeeper-batter] in the top five, going for Healy didn’t make sense for us.”
After being let go by UPW, who had signed her for INR 70 lakh for the first two seasons, Healy entered the auction at a base price of INR 50 lakh. She missed the previous season due to a foot ailment. In 17 WPL games, she has scored 428 runs at a strike rate of 130.48 and an average of 26.75. She recently got consecutive ODI World Cup hundreds against Bangladesh and India while playing for the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL.
Heather Knight and Alice Capsey of England, Alana King, Amanda Jade-Wellington, and Darcie Brown of Australia, and Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka were among the other foreign players who remained unsold.
The Mumbai Indians signed Amelia Kerr for INR 3 crore, making her the highest-paid foreign player. Sophie Devine (Gujarat Giants for INR 2 crore) and Meg Lanning (UP Warriorz for INR 1.90 crore) came next.