One surprise release from each team ahead of WPL 2025 Auction ft. Gujarat Giants & Sneh Rana
All five teams of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) announced their respective lists of retained players on Thursday, November 7, ahead of the mini-auction. The WPL 2025 will be the tournament’s third edition after its introduction in 2023.
Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangaluru tried their best to retain their core players and have managed to do a decent job. The retention process, meanwhile, also saw some big players being released from their respective teams.
On that note, let’s look at one surprise release from each team as the franchises gear up for the WPL 2025 auction.
#5 UP Warriorz- Lauren Bell
UP Warriorz, ahead of the WPL 2025 player auction, released four players while Danni Wyatt-Hodge was traded to RCB-W for the upcoming edition. Of those released, the surprise element was England quick Lauren Bell.
Though she hasn’t gotten an opportunity to make it to the playing XI at the WPL, she has been a core member of the England international squad and the Southern Brave in The Hundred Women. One of the finest new-ball bowlers in the UP-W squad, Bell’s release came as a shock to many.
Lauren Bell was a steal deal at the WPL 2023 auction and was acquired at her base price of INR 30 lakh.
#4 Delhi Capitals- Poonam Yadav
Though Poonam Yadav’s form across formats has been questionable, Delhi Capitals’ move of releasing her did not quite make sense, as they’re now left with no leg-break spinner in the squad. The upcoming auction will be crucial for them to fill in Yadav’s spot.
Roped in at her base price of INR 30 lakh, Poonam Yadav was expected to outperform with her googly in the inaugural edition. But, in the two editions of the tournament so far, she has only played three matches, with no wickets to her name.
Notably, she didn’t get a single game under her belt in the 2024 edition and was benched throughout. DC-W made it to the WPL final in both editions, with and without Poonam Yadav in the XI, which speaks volumes about the team’s core.
#3 Mumbai Indians- Issy Wong
Isabelle Wong (Issy Wong), the first-ever cricketer to pick a hat-trick at the Women’s Premier League and script history, was released by inaugural champions Mumbai Indians. Having played 12 matches in the two editions, Wong has 76 runs and 18 wickets to her name.
With MI releasing a match winner like Wong, teams will be eyeing to bag her services for the 2025 edition. The all-rounder has the ability to handle the pressure with the ball in death overs, and can also score some quick runs.
MI roped her in for INR 30 lakh at the 2023 auction, and she stood up to the team’s expectations by finishing as the joint-second leading wicket-taker of the tournament.
Her list of achievements also included a brilliant hat trick against UP Warriorz in the Eliminator match where she dismissed Kiran Navgire, Sophie Ecclestone, and Simran Shaikh.
#2 Royal Challengers Bengaluru- Heather Knight
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru released England captain Heather Knight from the squad, and filled the last remaining overseas slot by trading Danni Wyatt-Hodge from the UP Warriorz. As a result, they’ll be heading into the auction focused only on Indian players.
Knight, one of the finest all-format players, was in and out of the RCB XI as the team kept rotating their overseas players. Having played eight matches in two editions of the tournament, the England skipper has 135 runs and four wickets to her name.
#1 Gujarat Giants- Sneh Rana
One of the biggest shocks came in when Gujarat Giants announced their list of retained players, and released Sneh Rana. The all-rounder has been a key member of all teams that she has represented so far- domestic, franchise leagues, and internationals.
Rana has played 12 matches in two seasons of the WPL and picked up six wickets while also scoring 47 runs. Though her performances in the previous edition were only decent, she brings a lot to the table with her all-round brilliance.
With GG-W’s intentions unclear, the remaining four teams will surely keep a close eye on Rana when she goes under the hammer at the WPL 2025 auction.