In the WPL 2026 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured Grace Harris for Rs 75 lakh. Gujarat Giants made key purchases, buying Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, and pacer Renuka Singh Thakur, significantly strengthening their squad for the season.
Star Players Change Teams
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction is in full swing, with franchises engaged in high-intensity bidding to secure star players and build strong squads for the upcoming season. Grace Harris was picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for Rs 75 lakh. The Australian cricketer Harris has made 577 runs in 54 T20Is at an average of above 22 and a strike rate of above 155. She stayed with UP Warrioz (UPW) for the past three seasons in WPL. Harris made 581 runs in 22 matches at an average of 32.27, including three fifties.
Kim Garth was bought by the Gujarat Giants (GG) for Rs 50 lakh. The Australian player has notched up 764 runs in 61 T20Is at an average of 23.15. She has 49 T20I scalps at an average of above 23. Indian cricketer Yastika Bhatia was bought by Gujarat for Rs 50 lakh. She has amassed 214 runs in 19 T20Is at an average of above 16. She stayed with the Mumbai Indians (MI) for all three seasons in WPL. Bhatia scored 506 runs in 28 matches at an average of 18.74 with a fifty for Mumbai.
International Stars Unsold
Amy Jones and S Meghana remain unsold. So do Aussie bowlers Darcie Brown and Alana King.
Teams Build Squads with Strategic Picks
UP Warriorz bought Shipra Giri for Rs 10 lakh, an uncapped Indian.
India’s domestic stars Vrinda Dinesh, who played for UPW last year, and Mumbai’s Humaira Kaz remained unsold at the WPL 2026 auction.
The Giants bought Happy Kumari for Rs 10 lakh.
The Delhi Capitals bought Nandani Sharma for Rs 10 lakh.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad remains unsold.
UP Warriorz bought Simran Sheikh for Rs 10 lakh.
Poonam Khemnar was sold to MI for Rs 10 lakh.
Gujarat Giants bought Shivani Singh for Rs 10 lakh.
UP Warriorz bought Tara Norris for Rs 10 lakh. She has six wickets in 11 T20Is for the USA. The left-arm pacer also featured in the inaugural edition of WPL for the Delhi Capitals, picking up seven wickets in five matches.
Chloe Tryon was sold to UP Warriorz for Rs 30 lakh. The ace cricketer has scored 1,283 runs in 113 T20Is for South Africa. She has 39 wickets at an average of 36.48, including a four-wicket haul.
The Delhi Capitals bought Lucy Hamilton for Rs 10 lakh. She is an uncapped Australia left-arm pacer.
Triveni Vasistha was sold to the Mumbai Indians for Rs 20 lakh.
UP Warriorz bought Suman Meena for Rs 10 lakh.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked Gautami Nayak for Rs 10 lakh.
The Mumbai Indians bought Naila Reddy for Rs 10 lakh.
Gujarat Giants Snag India Pacer Renuka Singh
In another smart purchase, Gujarat Giants brought in India’s strike pacer Renuka Singh Thakur for Rs 60 lakh. Despite being an injury-prone player, Renuka remains one of India’s most reliable new-ball bowlers. She came at Rs 40 lakh, and Giants secured her services at a final price of Rs 60 lakh. The T20 World Cup-winning all-rounder and India’s premier swing bowler significantly bolsters the Giants’ squad ahead of WPL 2025. (ANI)
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