2024 WPL auction set to take place on December 9 in Mumbai - Reports
The player auction for the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) will reportedly be held in Mumbai on December 9. Much like the inaugural edition, the five franchises will have an opportunity to shape up their squad after having announced their retention and released players' list. A total of 60 players were retained, while 29 were released by the teams.
As a result, the released candidates will go under the hammer for the other franchises to claim along with unsold players from last time around as well as some new players.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the franchises will have an additional purse of ₹1.5 crore added to their remaining amount from the inaugural auction held last year and the amount generated through player releases.
The historic inaugural auction saw each franchise enter the auction with a purse of ₹12 crore. Indian opening batter Smriti Mandhana had made history by becoming the first player to be sold and was the most expensive acquisition of the entire auction as well (₹3.4 crore).
At the end of the auction, the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the UP Warriorz had completely exhausted their purse to forge their maiden squad. The Delhi Capitals (DC) had the highest purse amount left with ₹35 lakh to their name, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Gujarat Lions ended up with ₹10 lakh and ₹5 lakh, respectively.
With the retentions and releases being official, the purse amount for the teams entering into the second auction has been confirmed.
Gujarat Lions, who finished at the bottom of the table in the inaugural edition, have the highest purse after releasing almost half their squad. They will have a purse of ₹5.95 crore while defending champions MI will have the smallest purse with ₹2.1 crore to their name.
BCCI yet to confirm dates or format for WPL 2024
The inaugural edition of the WPL was contested entirely in Mumbai across three venues. There were talks of the home-and-away format being implemented in the WPL as well, but there has been no confirmation by the organizers as of yet.
Furthermore, the BCCI had also expressed their desire to conduct the tournament during the Diwali window, but are likely to stick with the February-March slot like last time around, just before the Indian Premier League (IPL) kickstarts.
Who will be the most expensive acquisition at the 2024 WPL Auction? Let us know what you think.