New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Four more players have been added to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction list at the request of the five franchises, while India wicketkeeper-batter G. Kamalini will be available for the entire season, a source told IANS.
The new entrants in the 2027 WPL auction pool, which now stands at 150 players, are Delhi all-rounders Medhavi Bidhuri and Samaira Raghav, New Zealand pacer Bree Illing and Uttar Pradesh bowler Avanya Jain. The auction will start at 5:30 pm in Kochi on Wednesday.
“Yes, during the auction briefing held today, the late addition of four players was made, and all five teams were informed about it. All five teams were also told that G Kamalini is fully available for the 2027 WPL season as she will not be playing in the 2027 U-19 World Cup, which was the case before,” further said the source to IANS on Tuesday.
Kamalini’s availability for 2027 WPL had been in question before she was understood to be in contention for next year’s Under-19 World Cup, which directly clashes with the tournament’s fifth season running from January 14 to February 7.
Two-time winners, Mumbai Indians had released Kamalini, who had a contract of Rs 1.1 crore, during last month’s retention deadline. But with Kamalini, who has set her base price at Rs 40 lakhs, fully available for the WPL, it means that she can get a good payday at the auction, where 27 slots are to be filled, and wicketkeeper-batters will be in great demand.
While Medhavi, who bowls leg-spin, has gone viral for her ‘6-7’ celebration in the Delhi Premier League (WPL) women’s competition, Samaira is coming off a good showing in the U19 Women’s T20 Trophy and is also believed to be selected for the U19 Women’s T20 Challengers tournament, which prompted her late addition to the WPL auction pool.
The 2027 WPL auction will open with a full round of capped players, and is followed by a full round of uncapped players. After the 50th player, the accelerated rounds may begin. With each team’s overall purse at Rs 15 crore, UP Warriorz, who finished last in 2026 and have never reached the final in four seasons, have the most to spend at Rs 3.75 crore.
The Meg Lanning-led side has eight slots to fill — five Indian and three overseas spots. Gujarat Giants have a purse of Rs 1.25 crore available to fill three slots — one of which is overseas.
Defending champions and two-time winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru have Rs 1.15 crore available to fill five slots — two of which are overseas. Four-time runners-up Delhi Capitals have Rs 1.10 crore in hand to fill five slots — one of which is overseas. Mumbai Indians have Rs 90 lakh purse available to fill six Indian player slots.
Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Sophie Molineux, who has listed herself at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, and Jess Jonassen, who missed the 2026 season with a shoulder injury, are the biggest overseas names in the auction pool.
Scotland wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce is another name that will keep five teams interested, as well as India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana. Uncapped batters Vrinda Dinesh, Gongadi Trisha, Saanika Chalke, and Mumbai’s 15-year-old batting sensation Ira Jadhav could draw strong bidding interest from the five franchises.
Jess, though, is down with a neck injury, which has ruled her out of the upcoming WBBL. Though her return to play is set for the new year, it may be too close to comfort for teams to pick her for 2027 WPL. Ira’s availability for WPL 2027 will also be doubtful if she is selected for India’s U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup squad.
–IANS
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