WPL Mega Auction : Deepti becomes costliest buy

NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma emerged as the costliest buy of the 2026 WPL mega auction while other ODI World Cup standouts, Shree Charani and Laura Wolvaardt, also walked away with hefty pay cheques here on Thursday.

The seasoned Deepti expectedly fetched the big bucks with UP Warriorz using the Right to Match (RTM) card to retain the India all-rounder for a whopping Rs 3.20 crore. She is now the second-highest-paid Indian player in WPL history, just Rs 20 lakh behind Smriti Mandhana.

“We definitely expected price to be in the range of what we saw. It’s the premium what you pay for high quality spin bowling all-rounders and there was no doubt that we wanted Deepti back,” UP Warriorz Director of Cricket Operations Kshemal Waingankar said.

Mumbai Indians made one of the day’s biggest moves by buying New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr for Rs 3 crore. The 25-year-old was part MI’s title winning runs in 2023 and 2025.

UP Warriorz surprisingly shelled out Rs 2.40 crore for the veteran India all-rounder Shikha Pandey, who last played for the national side in 2023.

Left-arm spinner Charani, a key performer in India’s triumphant World Cup run, was snapped up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.30 crore, almost five times her base price of Rs 30 lakh, after an intense bidding battle with the Warriorz.

Delhi Capitals continued its aggressive approach, outbidding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to land South Africa captain Wolvaardt for Rs 1.10 crore and West Indian batter Chinelle Henry (Rs 1.30 crore) while also adding India all-rounder Sneh Rana for Rs 50 lakh.

The Warriorz, armed with the auction’s largest purse of Rs 14.5 crore, were among the busiest franchises. Along with Deepti, they exercised RTM cards to bring back young pace sensation Kranti Gaud (Rs 50 lakh) and England’s premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone (Rs 85 lakh).

The seasoned duo of Meg Lanning and Sophie Devine were also among the marquee picks. Giants bought Devine for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz landed Lanning, who led Delhi Capitals to three finals, for Rs 1.90 crore after a fierce tussle with her former team DC.

TOP FIVE PICKS

PLAYER TEAM BASE SOLD

Deepti Sharma UPW-W 0.50L 3.20 CR

Amelia Kerr MI-W 0.50L 3 CR

Shikha Pandey UPW-W 0.40L 2.40 CR

Sophie Devine GG-W 0.50L 2 CR

Meg Lanning UPW-W 0.50L 1.90 CR