As the Women IPL auction for the 2024 season gets closer, we take a look back at the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The Women IPL had a huge success in its first edition, culminating with Mumbai Indians beating Delhi Capitals in the final to lift the trophy. The tournament wasn't the only attraction as the Women IPL auction garnered quite the buzz.
The Women IPL auction date for the next edition is set to be December 9, where some talented names in women's cricket will go under the hammer. The fans can watch the WPL auction live on the digital streaming platform Jio Cinema.
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Before the five franchises compete for the players on December 9th, we take a look at the most expensive players bought in the Women IPL auction 2023.
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Most expensive buys at the Women IPL auction 2023
Smriti Mandhana (₹3.40 cr)
India's superstar batter Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player in the inaugural Women IPL auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore won the tense bidding war against Mumbai Indians to bag the rights to have Mandhana in their side for a whopping ₹3.40 cr. Mandhana was made the captain of the side but did not have the returns that could justify the price tag.
Ashleigh Gardner (₹3.20 cr)
Ashleigh Gardner was amongst the most sought after players heading into the Women IPL auction 2023 and she ended up being the joint second highest-paid player in the tournament. Mumbai Indians opened the bidding at the base price of 50 L, with UP Warriorz raising it to ₹2.60 cr. Gujarat Giants then joined in and eventually took the player for ₹3.20 cr.
Natalie Sciver-Brunt (₹3.20 cr)
Mumbai Indians kept hunting the big players in the Women IPL auction. After getting Harmanpreet Kaur, they went all out for the England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt. They fought Delhi Capitals first and UP Warriorz later to eventually win the bidding war at ₹3.20 cr.
Nat Sciver-Brunt was fantastic in a title-winning campaign for MI women, scoring 332 runs at 66 average and 140 strike rate while also picking 10 wickets at 7.12 economy.
🥁 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐬!
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) November 24, 2023
🔨 #TATAWPL Auction
🗓️ 9th December 2023
📍 Mumbai pic.twitter.com/rqzHpT8LRG
Deepti Sharma (₹2.60 cr)
The Indian all-rounder was in great form ahead of the Women IPL auction 2023 and it benefitted her big time as she became one of the most expensive players in the league. Being an Indian player and having an all-round skill set played a big role in Deepti Sharma fetching ₹2.60 cr from UP Warriorz.
Jemimah Rodrigues (₹2.20 cr)
Jemimah Rodrigues, another player who was in pretty good form heading into the auction, fetched good money. Delhi Capitals earned her services for ₹2.20 cr. UP Warriorz and Capitals engaged in an early skirmish until the former backed out at ₹1.50 cr. Mumbai Indians then joined in and raised the price till ₹2 cr but Delhi had the last decisive bid.
Talking about the upcoming season, a mini-auction is often a place where the value of a few top players increases significantly due to the scarcity of such talents. The upcoming Women IPL auction could throw one or more big surprises our way.
