The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season is gearing up with the official player retention list slated for release this Thursday. This key announcement will follow the conclusion of the fourth T20 international match between India and Australia, being held in Gold Coast, Queensland. All five WPL franchises have successfully submitted their final lists of retained players by the Wednesday deadline. This signals that many established stars will be secured by their teams, while others will enter the prestigious mega auction, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on November 27th. The strategic retention phase is now complete, setting the stage for the auction drama.
According to sources close to the WPL, the retention details will be officially revealed once the men’s T20I game between India and Australia has finished. The WPL has outlined precise retention rules: franchises can retain up to three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. A significant requirement is that if a team decides to retain five players, one of them must be an uncapped Indian. Each franchise will have an auction purse of INR 15 crore for the upcoming mega auction.
The financial framework for retained players includes specific figures: INR 3.5 crore for the first player, INR 2.5 crore for the second, INR 1.75 crore for the third, INR 1 crore for the fourth, and INR 50 lakh for the fifth. The Right to Match (RTM) facility allows teams to secure players from their 2025 squads, with a limit of five RTMs per team. The deduction from a franchise’s auction purse varies with the number of retained players: INR 9.25 crore for five players, INR 8.75 crore for four, INR 7.75 crore for three, INR 6 crore for two, and INR 3.5 crore for one. Teams retaining fewer players will be granted more RTMs, whereas those opting for the maximum five retentions will lose their RTM option completely.