India’s World Cup-winning stars Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma have all been retained by their respective franchises ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction. However, some of the tournament’s biggest international names, including Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Deepti Sharma, have been released, adding spice to what is expected to be a highly competitive auction later this month. Five-player retention limit in place As per WPL rules, each franchise could retain a maximum of five players, including up to three capped Indians, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indians. If a team retained all five, at least one had to be an uncapped Indian. Defending champions Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals have retained five players each, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru held on to four. Gujarat Giants retained two players and UP Warriorz opted for just one. The WPL will also introduce the Right-to-Match (RTM) card for the first time at the auction, allowing franchises to buy back players who were part of their 2025 squad. Auction set for November 27 in Delhi The auction, expected to take place in Delhi on November 27, will see teams work with an INR 15 crore purse. Depending on the number of retentions, deductions will range from INR 3.5 crore (one player) to INR 9.25 crore (five players). Both Mumbai and Delhi, having retained five players each, will go into the auction with INR 5.75 crore and no RTM options. UP Warriorz, having retained only uncapped batter Shweta Sehrawat, will have the largest purse INR 14.5 crore and four RTMs. Gujarat Giants will have INR 9 crore and three RTMs, while RCB will carry INR 6.25 crore and one RTM. Team-wise retentions Delhi Capitals: Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Niki Prasad Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamilini, Hayley Matthews Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney UP Warriorz: Shweta Sehrawat Post navigation Focus on Shubman Gill’s form as India eye series lead:Will Sanju Samson return to playing XI? Glenn Maxwell fit again after wrist fracture Royal Challengers Bengaluru officially up for sale:IPL and WPL franchise expected to get new owner by 31 March; parent company starts ‘strategic review’
