Top 3 most expensive releases ahead of WPL 2025 Auction ft. Sneh Rana
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises announced their player retention and release lists on Thursday, November 7, ahead of the 2025 WPL auction. Under the league’s regulations, each team is allowed to build a squad of up to 18 players, including a maximum of six international players.
The retention decisions stirred some anticipation, with franchises making decisions to refine their lineups for the upcoming season.
Several notable players found themselves without a spot as teams made several releases. Among the prominent releases were Sneh Rana, New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu, and Poonam Yadav.
Additionally, Royal Challengers Bengaluru chose not to retain England captain Heather Knight while the Mumbai Indians opted to part ways with fast bowler Issy Wong.
However, most teams managed to retain the majority of their core players ahead of the WPL 2025 auction. On that note, here is a look at the top three most expensive releases.
Top 3 most expensive releases ahead of WPL 2025 auction
#3 Heather Knight - ₹40 lakh
England captain Heather Knight is among the big names released ahead of the WPL 2025 auction. She was acquired by RCB ahead of the inaugural season at her base price of ₹40 lakh.
Knight played eight matches for the franchise in the 2023 season where she scored 135 runs with a top-score of 34. She also managed to pick up four wickets with the ball.
However, Heather Knight withdrew from the 2024 season as she had to join the English team for a white-ball series against New Zealand. As a result, she missed the last season and has not been retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 season.
#2 Laura Harris - ₹45 lakh
At the inaugural WPL auction, Laura Harris was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for ₹45 lakh. The Capitals managed to win her after a brief bidding battle with Royal Challengers Bangalore, ultimately securing her for 4.5 times her base price.
The Australian all-rounder has not had much game time in the league as she played just one match for the Delhi Capitals across two seasons. In that match, Harris did not score any runs or pick up a wicket as she did not get the opportunity to bat or bowl.
Delhi Capitals have released her ahead of the 2025 season and the hard-hitting Australian all-rounder will be a part of the auction.
#1 Sneh Rana - ₹75 lakh
Indian all-rounder Sneh Rana's release came as a shock and surprise to many as she was expected to be retained by the Gujarat Giants. She was roped in by Gujarat ahead of the inaugural season as they splurged an amount of ₹75 lakh.
She played a total of 12 matches for the Gujarat Giants, scoring only 47 runs at a strike-rate of 97.91. With the ball, she managed to pick up just six wickets at an economy rate of 9.02.
While her numbers reflect an underwhelming performance, Sneh Rana's release still comes as a surprise to many. Given her price of ₹75 lakh, she is also an expensive release ahead of the 2025 season auction.