WPL Auction 2023: Top 3 steal deals
The much-awaited Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction began at the JIO World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. The league’s auction got underway with Smriti Mandhana’s name setting off a fierce bidding battle. Royal Challengers Bangalore eventually signed her for INR 3.40 crore.
Around 409 players were pruned from the list of 1,525 cricketers that had registered for the WPL auction. Of the registered players, 246 Indians were part of the auction whereas 163 players were from overseas nations. This included eight players that belong to the associate nations. In order to bolster their squads, each franchise had already formulated plans for the auction.
Despite their extensive experience and impressive accomplishments, some of the players failed to draw much attention while others sparked major bidding wars. In this piece, we take a look at the top three steal buys among the list of top players in the auction-
3. Deandra Dottin – INR 60 lakh
After playing for the Windies team for nearly 14 years, starting with her debut in 2008, the cricketer retired from international competition in 2022. During the 2010 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in St. Kitts, she recorded her first T20I century (112 not out off 45 balls). The Gujarat Giants have a seasoned cricketer with a wealth of experience playing against the finest teams in the world despite having just invested INR 60L in their budget.
2. Alyssa Healy – INR 70 lakh
Alyssa Healy, the Australia wicketkeeper-batter, was purchased by UP Warriorz for INR 70 lakh. Any bowling unit would try to get rid of her quickly before she gets going given her power-hitting skills. She showcased her aggressive hitting skills when she tormented the Sri Lankan side with an unbeaten 148 off 61 balls. Healy will be a huge help to the UP Warriorz even though she was bought without a bidding battle.
1. Sophie Devine- INR 50 lakh
The first international player to be sold at the auction table was Sophie Devine, the skipper of the New Zealand team. It’s interesting to note that Royal Challengers Bangalore bought her for INR 50 lakh, which was also her base price. The batter has outstanding leadership qualities and will give the team much-needed balance during the WPL season. She has already claimed more than 100 wickets and is just 50 runs away from reaching the enormous milestone of 3000 T20I runs.
