Delhi, UP build strong squads:MI, RCB stack all-rounders; Gujarat light on bowling; strengths-weaknesses of WPL teams

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction was held on Thursday (November 27) in New Delhi. In the 5.5-hour-long auction, 128 players were named, but only 67 were sold. ₹40.80 crore were spent on them. 23 foreign and 44 Indian players were bought in the auction. Two-time champions Mumbai Indians re-bought their core team. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals could not include captain Meg Lanning; she was bought by UP Warriorz for ₹1.90 crore. RCB bought Australia’s Georgia Wareham to support Smriti Mandhana. Strengths and Weaknesses of the 5 WPL Teams 1. Delhi Capitals – Weak wicketkeeper position Three-time runner-up Delhi Capitals had released captain Meg Lanning before the mega auction. The team tried to buy her in the auction, but she became a part of UP. The team then bought strong players like Laura Wolvaardt, Sneh Rana, and Shinelle Henry. Delhi can make Jemimah Rodrigues or Annabel Sutherland the captain. Possible Playing 11
Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt/Schinelle Henry, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Nikki Prasad, Taniya Bhatia (Wicketkeeper), Sneh Rana, Sri Charani, Minnu Mani, Lucy Hamilton. 2. Mumbai Indians – All-rounders are extremely strong 2023 and 2025 champions Mumbai Indians had retained 5 players. The team focused only on buying back their previous players in the initial rounds. Therefore, they bought Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail. In the team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, explosive batters like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews are also present. Possible Playing 11
Hayley Matthews, G. Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, Poonam Khemnar, Sanskriti Gupta. 3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Strong All-rounders, Weak Bowling 2024 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained 4 players. In the auction, the team bought Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Grace Harris, and Radha Yadav. The team could not buy the previous opener Sophie Devine but Grace Harris and Georgia Voll will be present to fill her void. Possible Playing 11
Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Georgia Voll/Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Pooja Vastrakar, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Dayalan Hemalatha/Prema Rawat, Lauren Bell. 4. UP Warriorz – The strongest team of the auction UP Warriorz, who played in the playoffs only once in 2023, retained only one player. The team took advantage of a large purse to buy strong players like Meg Lanning, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, and Phoebe Litchfield. The bowling department is also strong. Possible Playing XI
Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, Pratika Rawal/Harleen Deol, Kiran Navgire, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Shikha Pandey, Kshipra Giri (wicketkeeper), Asha Sobhana, Kranti Gaud/Tara Norris. 5. Gujarat Giants – Bowling weak, Batting strong Gujarat Giants, who reached the playoffs last season, retained only 2 players. In the auction, the team strengthened their batting by buying Sophie Devine, Bharti Fulmali, and Yastika Bhatia. However, the bowling department looks weak. Possible Playing 11 Beth Mooney (wicketkeeper), Sophie Devine, Yastika Bhatia, Ashleigh Gardner, Bharti Fulmali, Georgia Wareham/Kim Garth, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwar/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Kashvee Gautam, Titas Sadhu.