After the successful ICC Cricket World Cup, women’s cricket will now prepare for the Mega Auction for the Women’s Premier League(WPL) 2026 season. With their recently found status as World Champions, Indian cricket will take centre stage in women’s cricket with the WPL Mega Auction for the 2026 season. This article will explore the upcoming Mega Auction, the retention player rule and the players who will dominate the bidding process in the auction.

 Introduction

After three extremely successful seasons, the 2026 edition of the Women’s Premier League  (WPL) will yet again prove to be a pivotal move towards shaping Women’s cricket. After 3 years, the tournament will see a major rejig in team personnel with the Mega Auction allowing teams to hit the reboot button and build a whole new squad. While this may not help teams like the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals (with a settled core), the Mega Auction will help other teams to build a stronger squad than before with more players available in the auction pool.

The Mega Auction is scheduled to be held on 27 November 2025 in New Delhi.

 Mega Auction Rules for 2026 Season – Women’s Premier League (WPL)

• Retention Rule

According to the revised retention rules, franchises are allowed to retain a maximum of 5 players and release the rest of the squad back into the auction pool. Out of these 5 players, franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, up to two overseas players and up to two uncapped players. If the franchise chose to retain all five slots, at least one player has to be an uncapped Indian player.

• Purse

Each of the 5 franchises will have a total purse of Rs 15 crores, but the purse will be deducted depending upon the number of players retained.

• The Deduction Slabs
• 5 players retained – Total deductions from the total purse will be Rs 9.25 crores, thus reducing the purse to Rs 5.75 crores.
• 4 players retained – Total deductions from the total purse will be Rs 8.75 crores, thus reducing the purse to Rs 6.25 crores.
• 3 players retained – Total deductions from the total purse will be Rs 7.75 crores, thus reducing the purse to Rs 7.25 crores.

…..And so forth

• Standard Slabs (In order of the player getting retained)
  • Player 1 – INR 3.5 crores
  • Player 2 – INR 2.5 crores
  • Player 3 – INR 1.75 crores
  • Player 4 – INR 1.0 crores
  • Player 5 – INR 0.50 crores

The auction is designed to be a double-edged sword wherein fewer retained players will help the franchise have a bigger purse but risk losing on an existing core group.

• Right to Match (RTM)

Right to Match (RTM) have been introduced in WPL Mega Auction for the first time. This will allow teams to use the card to buy back a player from the 2025 squad by matching the highest bid price.

The more players retained, the fewer the RTM cards available. If all 5 retention options are used, then the franchise does not have the option of the RTM.

Retained Players from each Team

*Delhi and Mumbai have used their full quota of player retention and will not have the option of the RTM, but have managed to maintain their core.

*The biggest surprise in the list of retained players was the absence of  Deepti Sharma who recently was Player of the World Cup Tournament.

Who are the Top Players to watch out for in the Mega Auction?

Indian players will have a big say in the Mega Auction.

• Deepti Sharma: Will be expected to be the costliest Indian player in the Mega Auction
• Alyssa Healy: Considered one of the best wicketkeeper-batters and an opener. She will be the hot pick and will attract heavy bidding
• Meg Lanning: Teams looking for a captain and a top-order batter will go for the former Australian skipper.
• Melia Kerr: A surprise omission from the Mumbai camp due to the Overseas cap, Melia Kerr will be one of the top buys in the Mega Auction.
• Grace Harris: A multifaceted player who can bowl and play the finisher’s role will be on every team’s wish list.

Summary

With the reduced purse, the bigger successful teams like Mumbai and Delhi will be at the mercy of the teams having a bigger purse. Teams with the bigger purse will rule the initial phase of the auction, but the smarter franchise will look to focus on low-cost and high-value buys from the pool. The focus in the Mega Auction will remain on Indian players, for both capped and uncapped.

With the constrained purse, some big names in the game may lose out and may remain unsold, while the focus will be on value buys. It is also possible that lesser-known uncapped Indian players may be selected for jaw-dropping bids.

Nevertheless, fans can expect a lot of drama to unfold along with some high-intense bidding war in the Mega Auction.

While the final list of players in the auction pool will be released by 20^th November, every franchise will already be burning the midnight oil to strategize and have their wishlist ready for the Mega Auction.

The WPL 2026 Mega Auction will be a pivotal moment in women’s cricket and will prove to be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport in India.

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