3 big overseas names missing from WPL 2025 Auction list ft. Issy Wong
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction list was announced on Saturday, December 7. A total of 120 players have registered for the auction, including 91 Indians, 29 overseas players, and three from the associate nations. The auction is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on December 15, 2024.
There are 19 available slots in the mini-auction, with five reserved for overseas players. Among the players up for bidding, 82 are uncapped Indians, and nine are capped. The overseas contingent includes 21 capped players and eight uncapped players.
Gujarat Giants will enter the auction with the largest purse, holding ₹4.40 crore. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have ₹3.25 crore, while inaugural champions Mumbai Indians possess ₹2.65 crore. Two-time finalists Delhi Capitals have ₹2.50 crore, and UP Warriorz will enter with ₹3.90 crore.
Sneh Rana and Poonam Yadav are among the prominent Indian players in the auction. The list also includes notable overseas players such as Deandra Dottin from the West Indies and England’s Heather Knight.
However, several big international names are missing from the list. Here, we highlight three major overseas players absent from the WPL 2025 auction.
#1 Issy Wong
In a surprising move, England’s Issy Wong was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2025 auction and has since opted not to register.
Wong was purchased by Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh ahead of the inaugural WPL season in 2023. The English pacer played a crucial role in the team’s title-winning campaign that season, taking 15 wickets in 10 matches, including a hat-trick in the eliminator against UP Warriorz, marking the first-ever hat-trick in the tournament’s history.
However, she struggled for game time in the 2024 season due to the presence of Shabnim Ismail. Wong played only two matches, claiming three wickets. In total, she took 18 wickets in 12 games across two seasons but will not feature in the upcoming season.
#2 Lea Tahuhu
Another notable name missing from the WPL 2025 auction list is veteran New Zealand bowler Lea Tahuhu. The 34-year-old had limited opportunities with Gujarat Giants in the 2024 edition, playing just two matches and taking only one wicket before being released ahead of the 2025 auction.
Tahuhu was also part of the White Ferns team that clinched their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup title earlier this year, defeating South Africa in the final. With extensive experience in T20 cricket, she has represented New Zealand in 96 matches, taking 93 wickets.
Additionally, Tahuhu has played in the Women’s Big Bash League, making her a significant miss for the WPL.
#3 Kathryn Bryce
Another notable absence from the list is Scotland’s captain, Kathryn Bryce. The 27-year-old was part of Gujarat Giants in the 2024 edition but had a disappointing season, scoring just 83 runs in eight matches. She was subsequently released by the team ahead of the 2025 auction.
The right-handed batter has a strong record in T20Is, scoring 1,273 runs in 49 matches at an average of 37.44, with 10 fifties. Kathryn also has experience playing in leagues such as the Big Bash League and the Hundred Women’s Competition, but she decided not to register for the 2025 WPL auction.