New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) UP Warriorz were expected to be busy in the marquee set of 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction, and they lived up to the billing by buying back India all-rounder Deepti Sharma and England spinner Sophie Ecclestone via RTM card.

But UPW also sprung a surprise by securing multiple World Cups-winning Australia captain Meg Lanning. Menwhile, Mumbai Indians bought back New Zealand’s leg-spin all-rounder Amelia Kerr, while Gujarat Giants also shelled out big money to buy New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine and India pacer Renuka Singh Thakur.

In a surprise outcome, Australia skipper Alyssa Healy went unsold at the auction, though there’s a hope that she could be back in the accelerated round.

The auction began with Alyssa’s name being called out for a base price of Rs 50 lakh, but found no takers.

For Sophie, who missed the 2025 season due to a mental health break following New Zealand’s T20 World Cup win, GG opened the bidding at Rs 50 lakh, sparking a tussle with her former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru that quickly pushed the price past Rs 90 lakh.

Delhi Capitals entered late at Rs 1.1 crore, but GG and RCB kept raising the stakes, with the former eventually outlasting all challengers to secure Sophie’s services for Rs 2 crore.

Deepti, the Player of the Tournament in the recent ODI World Cup win who also captained UPW in Alyssa’s absence last season, drew immediate interest when Delhi Capitals opened the bidding at Rs 50 lakh and pushed it up to Rs 3.2 crore, but UPW exercised their Right to Match card to reclaim the all-rounder.

Deepti also became the second-most expensive player in WPL’s history Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Madhana, who was bought for a whopping Rs. 3.40 crore by RCB during the first WPL auction in 2023.

Amelia, part of two title-winning MI squads, was at the centre of a fierce bidding war between the franchise and UPW. Her price surged past Rs 90 lakh and then to 1.7 crore, before it zoomed to Rs 3 crore and was reclaimed by MI.

Renuka, a member of India’s ODI World Cup-winning team, went to GG for Rs 60 lakh after a brief tussle with UPW. The evening’s spotlight, however, was on Sophie, the gun left-arm spinner, as RCB and DC sparred before UPW exercised their RTM card at INR 85 lakh to reclaim her.

DC then engaged in a fierce bidding war with UPW for their former captain Meg, who had led them to three finals. Her price surged past Rs 1.9 crore, before UPW sealed the deal and potentially their new captain.

The marquee set closed with South Africa captain Laura, who had represented Gujarat Giants in the first three seasons. RCB and DC traded bids to take her price past Rs 90 lakh, before DC briefly re-entered at Rs 1.1 crore.

The contest left open the prospect of a Mandhana-Wolvaardt opening pair for RCB, should they hold firm, but DC sealed the deal for Rs 1.1 crore and that meant Laura could open with Shafali Verma in the season.

–IANS

nr/bc