5 players to watch out for in WPL auction

The BCCI officially unveiled the first Women’s Premier League (WPL) on January 25, which went down as one of the most historic dates in women’s cricket history. The winning bids for the franchises were won by IPL team owners Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals for amounts of INR 912.99 crore, INR 901 crore, and INR 810 crore, respectively. For the Ahmedabad team, Adani Sportsline shelled out a staggering INR 1289 crore, while Capri Global Holdings shelled out INR 757 crore to acquire the Lucknow team.

As the auction is scheduled to be held on February 13, each team will have INR 12 crore to buy a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 players, including seven overseas players and one player from Associate nations. With this, we take a look at the five players to watch out for in the WPL auction:

5. Smriti Mandhana

The southpaw has extensive experience playing the sport across the globe. With aa massive 2,561 T20I runs under her belt, she is India’s second-highest scorer in the format. The flamboyant batter is sure to start a massive bidding war and she is among the player to watch out for.

4. Sophie Devine

Given the ability to score big in the crunch moments of the game, surely the WPL franchises will keep tabs on the New Zealand skipper. Adding to her impressive batting exploits, Sophie can also bowl a few overs and help restrict rival side from scoring big.

3. Sophie Ecclestone

The English left-arm orthodox spinner is currently the No.1 T20I bowler. Renowned for her accuracy and economy, Sophie Ecclestone has been sensational in the shortest format and undoubtedly, the franchises will be on the lookout to acquire her services.

2. Beth Mooney

Beth Mooney recently took the Women’s Big Bash League by storm as she was the leading run getter for the top-tier league. She aggregated 434 runs in 13 innings with her highest being an unbeaten 99. Considering her terrific batting performances, snapping up her services would be on the mind of almost every franchise.

1. Harmanpreet Kaur

The highest run-getter for the Indian side in the T20Is and the skipper of the national team, Harmanpreet Kaur will undoubtedly be amongst the highlight in the auction. Her experience coupled with her impeccable run-scoring prowess with the bat will be something franchise will keenly take heed of.