All-rounder Deepti Sharma, named the player of the tournament during India’s recent Women’s World Cup triumph, emerged as the costliest pick at the WPL 2026 auction.
Sharma’s previous franchise UP Warriorz used a “right-to-match (RTM)” option to equal Delhi Capitals’ sole opening bid of 32 million Indian rupees (approximately $360,000) to buy back her during Thursday’s auction in New Delhi.
The 28-year-old was a key player for India in their maiden Women’s World Cup success, finishing as the highest wicket-taker at the tournament with 22 wickets.
Thursday’s bid made Sharma the joint second-most expensive player ever sold at the WPL auction. India’s batter Smriti Mandhana, acquired by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the WPL 2023 auction for 34 million Indian rupees ($380,000), remains the most expensive player in the league.
New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr was the second-most expensive player at the 2026 auction, purchased for 30 million rupees ($335,000) by defending champions Mumbai Indians. Kerr, the youngest female cricketer to score a double century in One Day International cricket, has played for the Mumbai franchise since 2023.
All-rounder Shikha Pandey, who hasn’t played for India since 2023, was the third-most expensive buy, with UP Warriorz bidding 24 million Indian rupees ($270,000) for her.
Yet amid the flurry of big-money buys, the biggest surprise of the evening came when Australia captain Alyssa Healy went unsold. Healy, who played for UP Warriorz last year, was the only one among the eight marquee players to go unsold.
Overall, five franchises spent a total of 408 million rupees ($4.5 million) to sign 67 players ahead of the fourth edition of the WPL, the most lucrative T20 league in women’s cricket.
The WPL 2026 will be played from January 9 to February 5 in the Indian cities of Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The final will take place two days before India co-hosts the men’s T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka.
