WPL 2026: Indian Core Retained as Foreign Stars Face Release Ahead of Auction

Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises finalised their retention lists ahead of the 2026 season, with India’s T20 World Cup-winning stars Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Richa Ghosh headlining the core groups locked in by Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Defending champions Mumbai Indians and last year’s runners-up Delhi Capitals both used the maximum allowance of five retentions, leaving them with just ₹5.75 crore each for the November 27 mega auction in New Delhi. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the updated purse of ₹15 crore per team and introduced the Right-to-Match (RTM) card for the first time, giving franchises a chance to repurchase up to four former players depending on how many they retained.

Mumbai Indians kept captain Harmanpreet Kaur, England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, West Indies powerhouse Hayley Matthews, promising keeper G. Kamalini, and Punjab batter Amanjot Kaur, while Delhi Capitals held on to Indian opener Shafali Verma, South African duo Marizanne Kapp and Annabel Sutherland, Jemimah Rodrigues, and teenage sensation Niki Prasad.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 2024 champions, retained four marquee names—Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and off-spin sensation Shreyanka Patil—leaving them ₹6.25 crore and one RTM. Gujarat Giants kept only Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney, giving them ₹9 crore and three India-only RTM cards, while UP Warriorz retained just one player, 18-year-old Shweta Sehrawat, entering the auction with the largest purse of ₹14.5 crore and four RTM options.

The retention window saw several high-profile releases that will spark fierce bidding wars. Delhi Capitals parted ways with former captain Meg Lanning, UP Warriorz released skipper Alyssa Healy and star spinner Sophie Ecclestone, and Mumbai Indians let go of New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr—the 2025 season’s leading wicket-taker—along with South African tearaway Shabnim Ismail. Deepti Sharma, Player of the Tournament in India’s World Cup triumph and stand-in UP Warriorz captain, was also released, instantly becoming the most sought-after Indian all-rounder in the pool. These departures reflect a strategic reset by franchises aiming to rebuild around younger Indian cores while maximising salary-cap flexibility.

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With retentions costing between ₹3.5 crore for the first player down to ₹50 lakh for the fifth, the auction shapes up as the most competitive yet. Teams retaining the maximum five players sacrificed all RTM cards, forcing Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians to build almost entirely through open bidding. The November 27 event in the national capital will feature 30 slots across five squads, including a minimum of six overseas positions, and is expected to shatter previous records as franchises chase the released superstars who powered India to global glory just weeks ago.

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