By The Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini auction was mostly used by the five teams to fill roster gaps. However, two uncapped Indian youngsters, Kashvee Gautam and Vrinda Dinesh, stole the show on Saturday afternoon. They received bids of Rs 1.3 crore and Rs 2 crore from the UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants, respectively.
With a joint-highest bid of Rs 2 crore, Australia’s all-rounder Annabel Sutherland was the most expensive overseas player, while some of the world’s best players, like Chamari Athapaththu and Deandra Dottin, went unsold.
The Capitals entered the auction with a purse of Rs 2.25 crore, and they used the most of it to sign Sutherland, who the Gujarat Giants had earlier released. The Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians engaged in a fierce bidding war, with the latter winning out in the end.
Capitals’ head coach Jonathan Batty said, “We obviously have a balanced squad anyway. If we were to improve one area, it would be our starting eleven, subject to the playing conditions. Annabel is a multi-skilled player – she could bat anywhere between No. 3 and No. 7. She bowls in all phases of the match and is a stand-out all- rounder. For us, she was going to be our No.1 pick from the start.”
But the day’s biggest story revolved around Kashvee, an all-rounder with seam bowling who went unsold in the previous edition and turned heads everywhere. In the just finished Twenty20 series between India A and England A, Kashvee made an impact with her bowling performances, making breakthroughs when it mattered most. She was selected for the India A squad following her 12-wicket performance at the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy last month. She had previously competed for India’s Under-23 team in the ACC Emerging tournament in Hong Kong.
Gujarat Giantsʼ mentor and former India captain Mithali Raj said, “She (Kashvee) has the possibility of making it to the Indian team, and we are also looking forward to two more seasons and not just restricting to this season.”
Despite landing big-money deals, young players have frequently struggled in the difficult world of franchise leagues. But Mithali thinks the franchises should be the ones to give them more self-assurance.
“I donʼt think they would be carried away. In fact, there would be lot more pressure as they have gone for such a high price. They know the expectations of the franchise because of the price. That’s where the challenge is for the management to give them the confidence.” Mithali said.
With half of their roster missing, Gujarat Giants needed to cover a number of holes. They spent Rs 1 crore for Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Tarannum Pathan, and Veda Krishnamurthy, but they were able to make some strategic purchases.
Even though Indian players dominated the match, Australian all-rounder Kim Garth and former West Indies captain Dottin did not find favour. England’s Danni Wyatt (Warriorz) and Kate Cross (RCB) were taken by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.2 crore, while South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail found a home.
Among capped Indians, the seasoned campaigner Ekta Bisht attracted the highest bid of Rs 60 lakh for RCB, while Devika Vaidya did not find any takers. Even though they were unsure of the tournament’s location, the teams were generally satisfied with their selections.
The franchises must wait and observe before deciding on their tournament plans, even though BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the competition will take place in ‘one state’. The tournament is scheduled to start on February 22.
Overview –
- 30 Players Sold
- 9 Overseas Players
- ₹12,75,00,000 Total Spent
| Delhi Capitals | Gujarat Giants | Mumbai Indians | Royal Challengers Bangalore | UP Warriorz | |
| Funds Remaining | ₹5,00,000 | ₹1,45,00,000 | ₹45,00,000 | ₹1,05,00,000 | ₹1,90,00,000 |
Overseas Players | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Total Players | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYERS –
- Annabel Sutherland (Delhi Capitals) – ₹2,00,00,000
- Kashvee Gautam (Gujarat Giants) – ₹2,00,00,000
- Vrinda Dinesh (UP Warriorz) – ₹1,30,00,000
