WPL 2027 Auction: Team by Team Guide

Retained (10): Deepti Sharma, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh

Released (9): Amy Jones, Asha Sobhana, Charli Knott, Chloe Tryon, Deandra Dottin, G Trisha, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Suman Meena

Also out: Tara Norris, traded to Mumbai Indians for ₹10 lakh on 12 October 2026.

UP Warriorz hold ₹3.75 crore of the ₹8.15 crore left across all five teams, 46 percent of all the money in the room. They have the most slots to fill, with 8, and the most overseas slots open, with 3. No other team has more than 2. In a mini auction where most teams are topping up, UP Warriorz are close to rebuilding, and every other table will react to what they do first. They finished bottom in 2026 with 4 points and released 9 players, the most of any team.

What the squad already has

Meg Lanning captained the side as of the 2026 season, remains a proven leader and top order batter, and topped the Orange Cap list in 2023 with 345 runs. Deepti Sharma was the top buy of the 2026 mega auction at ₹3.20 crore, an Indian all-rounder who bats and bowls off-spin. Sophie Ecclestone is a world class left-arm spinner, and Phoebe Litchfield adds high ceiling overseas batting. Shikha Pandey and Kranti Gaud lead the Indian pace options. But 10 players is the smallest held squad in the league, with little margin for injury or loss of form.

Biggest need (analysis)

Analysis: UP Warriorz have three big needs, and the money and slots to address all three. They need Indian batting power, because too much of the scoring load sits with Lanning, Litchfield and Pratika Rawal. They need pace support and more wickets behind Ecclestone and Deepti. And they need overseas impact, because 3 open overseas slots is a chance no rival can match.

Which pool players fit (analysis)

Analysis only:

• Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Molineux are the only two players at a ₹50 lakh base price, and UP Warriorz are one of only two teams with the slots and purse to chase that level. Molineux, the Australia captain and all-rounder, would add left-arm spin and batting in one signing. Dunkley would add proven top order power.
• Kiran Navgire, at ₹40 lakh, is the standout Indian fit. UP Warriorz released her, but a release before a mini auction is not always a final goodbye. Her power addresses the Indian batting gap, and a buyback is realistic if the price stays sensible.
• In the ₹30 lakh band, Grace Harris, Chamari Athapaththu and Chloe Tryon offer overseas all-round value. Tryon is another UP Warriorz release who could be looked at again, and Asha Sobhana, also released by UP Warriorz at ₹30 lakh, would deepen the spin group.
• At ₹10 lakh, Shweta Sehrawat and G Trisha, both released by UP Warriorz, sit in the value band with Charli Knott. With 8 slots to fill, the back half of their auction will be about value as much as star power.

UP Warriorz can win almost any bidding war, but spending too heavily early could still leave a thin squad. How they pace ₹3.75 crore across 8 slots will decide this auction.

Retained (15): Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Tanuja Kanwer, Yastika Bhatia

Released (4): Ayushi Soni, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Shivani Singh, Titas Sadhu

What the squad already has

Gujarat hold 15 players, the most of any team, and need only 3 more. Ashleigh Gardner captained the side as of 2026. Beth Mooney is a ₹2.00 crore level wicketkeeper batter. Sophie Devine was the 2026 Purple Cap winner with 17 wickets and the 2026 Most Valuable Player. Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth complete a strong overseas group of 5, and the Indian core includes Renuka Singh, Kashvee Gautam and Yastika Bhatia. Gujarat finished second in 2026 with 10 points, so this squad was already close.

Biggest need (analysis)

Analysis: Gujarat need cover, not a rebuild or a star. Releasing Titas Sadhu removed an Indian pace option, and with only 3 slots, every pick has to step in without changing how the XI works. Their single overseas slot is best kept for a specific role, because the 5 held overseas players already cover most roles.

Which pool players fit (analysis)

Analysis only: Ayushi Soni, released by Gujarat and in the ₹30 lakh band, is a straightforward batting depth option. Sadhu herself, also at ₹30 lakh, would restore the pace cover they released, although teams with bigger pace needs may push her price up. Beyond that, Gujarat can watch UP Warriorz set the market and spend ₹1.25 crore on targeted picks. For a squad this complete, a quiet auction is fine.

Retained (13): Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Lauren Bell, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Prema Rawat, Sayali Satghare, Prathyoosha Kumar

Released (4): Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, D Hemalatha, Gautami Naik

What the squad already has

RCB are defending champions. They beat Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets in the 2026 final in Vadodara, chasing 204 for 4 in 19.4 overs, the first 200 plus chase in a WPL or IPL final. Smriti Mandhana was Player of the Match with 87 off 41 balls, won the 2026 Orange Cap with 377 runs, captained the side as of 2026, and holds the auction record at ₹3.40 crore from 2023. Around her are Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk and Lauren Bell overseas, plus a strong Indian bowling group, with Richa Ghosh as wicketkeeper batter.

Biggest need (analysis)

Analysis: the clearest gap is one RCB created themselves. Releasing Grace Harris removed a proven power hitter and bowling option from the middle order, and releasing Linsey Smith thinned spin depth. With 5 slots and only ₹1.15 crore, RCB need value, and at least one pick who can replace some of Harris's late innings power.

Which pool players fit (analysis)

Analysis only: Harris herself is in the pool at ₹30 lakh, and a buyback is the simplest fix if her price does not run away. RCB are one of only two teams with more than 1 overseas slot open, so they can also look at Dunkley and Molineux at ₹50 lakh, but a bidding war there could take a large share of their purse. Jess Jonassen and Heather Graham, both at ₹40 lakh, are all-round options a bracket below. At the value end, Gautami Naik, released by RCB at ₹10 lakh, is the kind of depth pick champions make.

Retained (13): Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Lucy Hamilton, Deeya Yadav, Mamatha Madiwala, Minnu Mani, N Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Niki Prasad

Released (6): Lizelle Lee, Alana King, Taniyaa Bhatia, Sneh Rana, Pragati Singh, Eddla Srujana

What the squad already has

Delhi have reached all four finals and lost all four, to Mumbai Indians in 2023 and 2025 and to RCB in 2024 and 2026. Jemimah Rodrigues captained the side as of 2026, and Shafali Verma, a ₹2.00 crore level signing, opens the batting. Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry and Lucy Hamilton make up 5 overseas players already held. Nandni Sharma took 17 wickets in 2026, level with Purple Cap winner Sophie Devine, including the first hat-trick by an uncapped player in WPL history.

Biggest need (analysis)

Analysis: Delhi have the one overseas bullet problem. They have 5 slots but only 1 overseas slot, and the two biggest names they released cannot be bought back. Lizelle Lee was Delhi's top scorer in 2026, and Alana King gave them a frontline overseas spin option. Both were released, and neither has registered for this pool. The single overseas pick has to do heavy work: use it on a batter, and they still need Indian bowling cover; use it on a spinner or all-rounder, and they are trusting the held core to replace Lee's runs.

Which pool players fit (analysis)

Analysis only: Molineux at ₹50 lakh offers left-arm spin and batting in one pick, Jonassen at ₹40 lakh offers experience and control, and Graham at ₹40 lakh offers pace all-round value. Dunkley at ₹50 lakh is the purer batting option if runs are the bigger loss. On the Indian side, two Delhi releases sit at ₹30 lakh: Taniyaa Bhatia as a wicketkeeper and Sneh Rana as a spin bowling all-rounder. Titas Sadhu and Saika Ishaque, both at ₹30 lakh, are other Indian bowling options. With ₹1.10 crore for 5 slots, Delhi cannot win a long bidding war and still complete the squad.

Retained (12): Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nicola Carey, Shabnim Ismail, Amanjot Kaur, Rahila Firdous, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tara Norris (traded in from UP Warriorz)

Released (6): G Kamalini, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy

What the squad already has

Mumbai are two time champions, winners in 2023 and 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur captained the side as of 2026 and was Player of the Match in the 2025 final. Nat Sciver-Brunt scored the only century of 2026, 100 not out off 57 balls. Amelia Kerr won the Purple Cap in 2025 with 18 wickets and cost ₹3.00 crore at the 2026 mega auction, and Hayley Matthews, Nicola Carey and Shabnim Ismail complete a star overseas group. Mumbai have spent ₹14.1 crore of their ₹15 crore purse, according to the club's own site.

Biggest need (analysis)

Analysis: after the Tara Norris trade, Mumbai hold all 6 overseas players allowed in a squad, so their overseas slots open figure is zero. They cannot sign Dunkley, Molineux, Harris or any other overseas player, however far a price falls. Every one of their 6 picks must be Indian. The maths is just as restrictive: ₹90 lakh for 6 slots is an average of ₹15 lakh per player, and even a single ₹30 lakh signing would leave ₹60 lakh for the remaining 5 slots. In practice this is base price hunting, with several picks at or near ₹10 lakh, where 106 of the 146 players in the pool sit. In our analysis, their clearest gaps are Indian spin depth after releasing Saika Ishaque and keeping and batting depth after releasing G Kamalini.

The Tara Norris loophole (analysis)

Norris is a USA left-arm seamer, the first Associate player to feature in the WPL and the first bowler to take a five wicket haul in the league, with 5 for 29 for Delhi Capitals against RCB in 2023. She played 5 WPL matches, all in 2023, and missed the 2026 season on USA duty after being signed by UP Warriorz. Because she is from an Associate nation, Mumbai can field her as a 5th overseas player in a playing XI, alongside the usual maximum of 4. That is a real tactical edge: an extra overseas quality seamer, without breaking the 4 overseas rule.

Which pool players fit (analysis)

Analysis only: Kamalini, released by Mumbai and now in the ₹40 lakh club, would take close to half of their remaining purse for 1 of 6 slots, which looks very hard to justify. Saika Ishaque at ₹30 lakh is a more plausible single bigger spend if spin is the priority, because she knows the franchise and the role. Asha Sobhana, also at ₹30 lakh, is another experienced Indian spin option. Beyond one possible pick in that range, the realistic Mumbai auction is in the ₹10 lakh band, including the large uncapped Indian group, plus Triveni Vasistha, a player they released who is listed at ₹20 lakh.

UP Warriorz set the market. RCB are the only other team that can chase more than one overseas signing. Delhi and Gujarat each have one overseas decision to get right. Mumbai must complete half a squad from the Indian pool alone, on the smallest purse. For the names behind those decisions, see the players who will start bidding wars.

Think you could run this table better than the franchises? Play the new WPL mode on CricArcade. Run the auction, build your squad, play the season in your browser, free, no download.

Play WPL on CricArcade

You can also build a T20 dynasty over multiple seasons in IPL Dynasty.

• Auction and season dates are as announced on 26 October 2026. The 2027 match venues have not yet been officially announced.
• All purse, slot and retained figures are post-trade as of 26 October 2026.
• Base prices are starting prices. Final prices will be set by bidding and may be much higher.
• Sections labelled analysis are the author's assessment, not statements of franchise intent.
• Captain references are as of the 2026 season.
• Players released but not registered for the pool, including Deandra Dottin, Alana King and Lizelle Lee, cannot be bought at this auction.

• Official WPL 2027 auction pool list, with the 146 registered players and base prices.
• WPL retention lists closed on 28 September 2026, covering the 63 players retained.
• The Tara Norris trade announcement of 12 October 2026, an all-cash deal of ₹10 lakh from UP Warriorz to Mumbai Indians.
• Mumbai Indians official site, on the retained squad and ₹14.1 crore purse spent.
• WPL final scorecards and season records for 2023 to 2026, including Orange Cap, Purple Cap and points table records.
• League squad and playing XI rules for 2027, including the squad, overseas and Associate player rules.

• WPL 2027 Season Guide: Dates, Format, Teams and What to Watch: Season dates, the format, the five teams and captains, and the storylines for the fifth Women's Premier League.
• WPL 2027 Auction: Date, Players, Purse and Rules: Date, player pool, purses, slots and rules for the WPL 2027 mini auction in Kochi: 146 players chasing 27 places.
• WPL 2027 Auction: The Players Who Will Start Bidding Wars: The overseas names and the 10 lakh bargains most likely to send paddles up in Kochi.
• How the WPL Auction Works: Mega and mini auctions, retention slabs, Right to Match, base prices and the Associate-player rule, explained.
• Play WPL Dynasty, or browse every guide.