Indian national team players didn’t have it easy and the uncapped players won gold at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini auction at ITC Gardenia on Sunday.
None of Sneh Rana, Poonam Yadav, Shubha Satheesh, Mansi Joshi and Tejal Hasabnis found an enthusiastic bidder, even as the likes of Simran Shaikh, G. Kamalini and Prema Rawat saw gold coins rain.
All-rounder Simran received a top bid of ₹ 1.90 crore (base price ₹ 10 lakh) from Gujarat Giants, even though she went almost unnoticed during her stint with the UP Warriorz in 2023 and went unsold last year.
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“We looked at two strikers and we have them both,” said Michael Klinger, head coach of the Giants, who added West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin to the squad for ₹ 1.70 crore. “We’re not too concerned about the price. “Skills count,” he said. The Giants have also secured Danielle Gibson and Prakashika Naik to strengthen their bowling.
Teenager G. Kamalini was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹ 1.60 crore. The 16-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who cleared ₹10 lakh, was the second-highest run-scorer in the U-19 Women’s T20 Trophy (311 runs at SR: 123.90), which Tamil Nadu won in October.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, captained by the highest-paid player in the WPL (Smriti Mandhana, ₹3.40 crore), welcomed Prema Rawat for ₹1.20 crore. The 23-year-old player, who turned heads during the inaugural Uttarakhand Premier League in August, will join forces with Indian coaches Asha Sobhana and Shreyanka Patil.
“He has great control for a rotator cuff,” said RCB head coach Luke Williams. “Looking at the performance of the spinners last year, adding a spin bowler to our arsenal was the perfect solution.”
Interestingly, Delhi Capitals were involved in bidding wars for Simran, Kamalini and Prema. He eventually signed Nandini Kashyap – now part of the Indian squad – for ₹ 10 lakh, which Capitals director of cricket Saurav Ganguly considered a steal. The 22-year-old was the third highest scorer in the 2024 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (247 runs at SR: 125.38).
“We needed one of Nandini, Kamalini or Simran,” said the former Indian captain. “But we didn’t expect to get Nandini at this price. She has the best record and we probably have the best [of the three]– said Ganguly, who also seemed delighted with the signing of Scotland’s Sarah Bryce (£10 lakh).
Notable foreign talents were not willing to perform: Heather Knight from England, Mai Bouchier and Lauren Bell, Australians Darcie Brown and Lauren Cheatle, and former South African cricketer Lizelle Lee. But Australian runner Alana King and South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk have found refuge in UP and Mumbai.
