Kashvi Gautam Emerges as Most Expensive Player in WPL-2 Auction, Vrinda Dinesh Fetches 1.30 Crores
Women’s Premier League (WPL) Season 2 Auction: Indian Players Shine Bright
The auction for Women’s Premier League (WPL) Season 2 took place on Saturday, witnessing franchises acquiring 30 players, including 9 foreign and 21 Indian players.
This auction, which ran for almost three hours, saw franchises collectively spending INR 12.75 crores to secure 90 players. The names of all 90 players were revealed during the auction process.
Indian players Kashvi Gautam and Vrinda Dinesh garnered attention during the auction. Kashvi Gautam was purchased for INR 2 crores, while Vrinda was secured for INR 1.30 crores, making them part of the Gujarat and UP teams, respectively. Both players had a base price of 10 lakhs. Australia’s Ellyse Perry also made headlines by being the most expensive foreign player, securing a deal with Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crores. Other notable acquisitions included Deandra Dottin, Chamari Atapattu, Devika Vaidya, Amy Jones, and Kim Garth, who remained unsold during the auction.
Five Players Fetch More Than One Crore in Auction
In the auction, five players were valued at over one crore. Australian Fobie Lichfield (1 crore) and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (1.20 crores) were among those who secured deals exceeding the one-crore mark. Gujarat acquired Lichfield, while Mumbai secured Ismail in the auction.
Kashvi Gautam to Debut in WPL Season 2
Kashvi Gautam, a 20-year-old pace-bowling all-rounder, emerged as the most expensive player in Season 2’s auction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Hailing from Chandigarh, she has been actively participating in domestic cricket. In 2020, she gained recognition by taking 10 wickets in an ODI against Arunachal Pradesh. Later, she represented Team India in the Under-19 World Cup in 2022.
Recently, she showcased her talent in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, grabbing 12 wickets. Her outstanding performance also earned her a place in Team India for the Under-23 Asia Cup. After going unsold in the previous WPL auction, she was picked up this time for a whopping 2 crores by Gujarat Giants. The base price was set at a mere 10 lakhs, making Kashvi the most expensive Indian player in the auction.
Vrinda Dinesh Emerges as the First Indian Crorepati in Set-6 Auction
In the Set-6 auction, the names of uncapped players were revealed, and among them, 22-year-old Vrinda Dinesh became the first Indian player to enter the crorepati club. She was picked up by UP Warriors for a staggering 1 crore 30 lakhs. Her base price was a modest 10 lakhs, meaning UP increased her base price by more than 13 times to secure her spot in the team.
Vrinda, a right-handed batter and leg-spinner, is yet to make her debut for India, but her performances in Under-19 and domestic cricket have garnered significant attention. The Gujarat Giants secured the services of Trisha Pujara for 10 lakhs in Set-6, while the remaining uncapped players went unsold.
Gujarat Giants Acquire the Highest Number of Players
In the recent auction, teams finalized their squads by fulfilling their squad quotas. Delhi picked up 3 players, Mumbai secured 5, Uttar Pradesh (UP) selected 5, and Bangalore added 7 players to their respective teams. However, Gujarat led the way by including a total of 10 players in their squad.
Here’s a breakdown of players acquired by each team:
- Delhi Capitals (3):
- Annabel Sutherland (2 crores)
- Aparna Mandal (10 lakhs)
- Ashwani Kumari (10 lakhs)
- UP Warriors (5):
- Vrinda Dinesh (1.30 crores)
- Daniel Wyatt (30 lakhs)
- Poonam Khemanar (10 lakhs)
- Sayama Thakur (10 lakhs)
- Gauhar Sultana (30 lakhs)
- Mumbai Indians (5):
- Shabnim Ismail (1.20 crores)
- S Sajana (15 lakhs)
- Amandeep Kaur (10 lakhs)
- Fatima Jaffer (10 lakhs)
- Kirthana Balakrishnan (10 lakhs)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (7):
- Ekta Bisht (60 lakhs)
- Georgia Wareham (40 lakhs)
- Kate Cross (30 lakhs)
- Shubha Satish (10 lakhs)
- Sophie Molineux (30 lakhs)
- Simran Bahadur (30 lakhs)
- Sabine Nenie Meghana (30 lakhs)
- Gujarat Giants (10):
- Kashvi Gautam (2 crores)
- Phoebe Litchfield (1 crore)
- Meghna Singh (30 lakhs)
- Lauren Cheatle (30 lakhs)
- Priya Mishra (20 lakhs)
- Trisha Pujitha (10 lakhs)
- Katherine Brunt (10 lakhs)
- Mannat Kishayp (10 lakhs)
- Tannum Pathan (10 lakhs)
- Veda Krishnamurthy (30 lakhs)
Dotin and Atapattu Go Unsold in WPL Auction
Both players, Deyanandar Dotin from the West Indies and Kim Garth from Australia, who had base prices of 50 lakhs, went unsold in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. Apart from them, England’s Emily Jones and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Atapattu also remained unsold. Jones had a base price of 40 lakhs, while Atapattu had a base price of 30 lakhs.
Fobie Lichfield Becomes the First Millionaire of the Auction
The auction started with the name of Australia’s Fobie Lichfield. Her base price was 30 lakhs, but Gujarat Giants bid 1 crore to acquire her. Lichfield sparked a bidding war between Gujarat and UP Warriors, eventually going to Gujarat for the highest bid of 1 crore rupees.
Apart from Lichfield, England’s Denny Wyatt was taken by UP Warriors for 30 lakhs as the only other player sold in the first set. The remaining players in the first set, including Veda Krishnamurthy, Poonam Raut, and Mona Meshram, went unsold. In the first set, nine players went under the hammer.
Second Set: Sutherland Emerges as the Most Expensive Player, 6 Players Unsold
In the second set, the names of eight players were up for grabs. Jyotheeswari Venkatesh went to Bengaluru, while Anabel Sutherland joined Delhi, and Meghna Singh became part of the Gujarat team. However, Subhman Gill, Tammy Beaumont, Deepti Sharma, Danielle Gibson, and Chamari Atapattu went unsold in this set.
Third Set: Names of 5 Players Announced, All Remain Unsold
In the third set, the names of five players were announced, but unfortunately, none of them found a buyer. The players included Beth Mooney, Sushma Verma, Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, and Nuzhat Parween.
Fourth Set: Ishmael Becomes the Third Millionaire, Bought by Mumbai for 1.20 Crores
In the fourth round, five players’ names were announced. Out of them, two players were successfully bid for. Shabnim Ismail became the third millionaire of the auction, as Mumbai Indians bought her for 1.20 crores, while Kate Cross was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kim Garth, Simran Bahadur, and Shamilia Connell remained unsold in this set.
Fifth Set: Mumbai Indians Acquire Ekta Bisht for 60 Lakhs
In the fifth set, Mumbai Indians successfully acquired Ekta Bisht for a sum of 60 lakhs. This set primarily featured bowlers, and apart from Ekta Bisht, the other players, including Amanda Wellington, Preeti Bose, Alana King, Gauhar Sultana, and Enohka Rangira, remained unsold in this round.
Mumbai Indians Clinch Season 1 Title by Defeating Delhi Capitals in WPL
In the first season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) held from March 4 to 26 this year, Mumbai Indians emerged victorious by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final to claim the title. The captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur for Mumbai Indians and Meg Lanning for Delhi Capitals played a crucial role in their respective teams’ performances. In the inaugural season, five teams participated, and the upcoming second season is also set to feature the same number of teams.
The WPL 2024 auction will be broadcast on Sports-18 network in India, and you can also catch the live action on the Jio Cinema app and website.
