3 teams that should have gone for Chamari Athapaththu in the WPL 2024 auction
In a surprising turn of events, Chamari Athapaththu, one of the finest batters in world cricket, went unsold in the WPL 2024 auction, which took place in Mumbai on Saturday, December 9.
Despite having set her base price as low as ₹30 lakh, she could not get a bidder and had to go unsold. This will come as a big blow to her as she had a fantastic time in the recently concluded WBBL in Australia.
Athapaththu is an aggressive batter, whose mindset consists of tearing into opposition bowling attacks from ball one.
Being a left-handed opener, she would have been an excellent acquisition for any franchise that would have bid for her. However, this did not happen and she had to remain unsold.
In this listicle, we bring to you three teams who should have gone for Chamari Athapaththu in the WPL auction:
#1 UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz would have been nicely placed to pick up Chamari Athapaththu to open the innings alongside Danni Wyatt.
It would have formed the most interesting opening pair in the league had it come through.
Instead, they chose to go with Grace Harris, who was one of the leading run-scorers of the recently concluded Women's Big Bash League.
Harris and Wyatt are now expected to open the innings and will form a fearsome partnership.
The Warriorz missed out on an excellent opportunity, given that having a southpaw at the top of the order could have given them a fresh approach.
#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore could have struck a nail on the head by picking up Chamari Athapaththu and adding some heft to the top of their order.
However, they allowed her to let go at the auction. Had Athapaththu been a part of RCB's setup, they could have serious title contenders next season.
The Mumbai Indians, with whom they have had a rivalry from last season, would have faced a stiff challenge from the Challengers had Athapaththu been roped in by the Bengaluru-based franchise.
#3 Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians could have bagged Chamari Athapaththu quite comfortably. She could have formed a valuable opening pair with the already retained Hayley Matthews.
However, they missed this golden opportunity and will now have to ask someone else to bat at the top of the order with the West Indian.
Mumbai Indians chose Shabnim Ismail as their sole foreigner from the auction this time around, letting Athapaththu go unsold.