16-year-old cricketer purchased by Mumbai Indians for ₹1.60 crore at WPL 2025 auction
Wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini, all of 16, was snapped up by Mumbai Indians Women in the Womens Premier League (WPL) auction in Bengaluru on Sunday (December 15). She became the third-most expensive player to be acquired in this auction, at ₹1.60 crore.
G Kamalini is a wicketkeeper-batter from Tamil Nadu. She bats left-handed for the Tamil Nadu side and is known for her explosive batting ability. Additionally, she bowls leg break as well if asked.
Kamalini had her breakthrough last year. She played for the Tamil Nadu Women's U19 state side and eventually got to represent India Women U19 in the U19 Women's Asia Cup. She helped Tamil Nadu U19 clinch the Women's U19 T20 Trophy, ending up as the second-highest run-getter with 311 runs across eight matches.
On the back of her impressive performances, she was called to represent India Women's U19 in the Women's U19 Asia Cup. She played a crucial role in India Women's U19 win against Pakistan in the opening encounter on Sunday, scoring 44 runs off 29 balls.
At the WPL 2025 Auction, Mumbai Indians Women and Delhi Capitals Women went toe to toe against each other to acquire the player. The bidding breached the ₹1-crore mark, with neither side ready to budge. Delhi Capitals put their bid of ₹1.50 crore before Mumbai Indians bumped it up to ₹1.60 crore. The Capitals pulled out of the bidding war, with the WPL Season 1 champions acquiring the player.
Mumbai Indians Women fill the majority squad; require only one player to complete 18 players
Women's Premier League (WPL) Season 1 champions Mumbai Indians came into the auction having retaining 14 players from last season. Their most expensive acquisition at the auction was G Kamalani at ₹1.60 crore. They later acquired two all-rounders in South Africa Women's Nadine de Klerk (₹30 lakh) and Madhya Pradesh Women's Sanskriti Gupta (₹10 lakh).
Mumbai Indians Women crashed out in the Eliminator last season. They will hope to better their performances this time and add another WPL trophy to their cabinet.