Excitement is building for the WPL 2026 season with the mega player auction slated for November 27 in New Delhi. This significant event marks the first-ever mega auction in the history of the Women’s Premier League.
Sources have confirmed that New Delhi will be the host city, and the BCCI has communicated the official auction date to all five franchises. The chosen venue is likely to be a prestigious hotel in Aerocity, with the Bharat Mandapam unavailable due to a prior commitment.
Wednesday is the crucial deadline for all WPL teams to finalize their player retention decisions. Each franchise can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. A stipulation requires at least one uncapped Indian player if a team retains five players. The auction purse is fixed at INR 15 crore.
Specific monetary values are assigned to retained players, forming the retention slabs. The Right to Match (RTM) option provides franchises with the opportunity to buy back up to five of their players from the 2025 season. The number of RTMs a team can utilize will depend on how many players they choose to retain.
Players must register for the auction by November 18, and the final list of auctionable players will be announced on November 20. The Indian women’s cricket team’s recent triumph in the ODI World Cup could also impact retention choices, as teams may look to secure players who shone during the tournament.