WPL 2027: Dunkley, Molineux At Highest Base Price As 146 Players Enter Auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:  England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux have registered themselves at the highest base price of Rs 50 lakh for the player auction for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2027 to be held in Kochi on October 28.

Indian wicketkeeper-batter G. Kamalini, who was released by two-time winners Mumbai Indians, and batter Kiran Navgire, let go by the UP Warriorz, along with Australian duo Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen, are in the next bracket with a base price of Rs 40 lakh. Another 30 players have registered at a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

In all, 146 players will go under the hammer for 27 available slots at the auction, which will begin at 5:30 pm at the Grand Hyatt hotel. The pool includes 119 Indians - 22 of them capped and 97 uncapped - competing for 20 slots.

The overseas contingent comprises 27 players -- 14 capped and 13 uncapped, vying for the remaining seven spots. Six players from Associate nations are also on the list. UP Warriorz will head into the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 3.65 crore and have seven slots to fill, including two for overseas players.

MI also have seven vacancies, one of them for an overseas player, but have the smallest purse of Rs 1 crore. Defending champions and two-time winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru have Rs 1.15 crore to fill five slots, including two overseas spots, while four-time runners-up Delhi Capitals have Rs 1.1 crore for five slots, one of which is for an overseas player. Gujarat Giants have the fewest slots to fill, with Rs 1.25 crore available for three players, including one for an overseas cricketer.

Australia have the largest overseas presence in the auction pool, with Grace Harris, Tayla Vlaeminck, Tess Flintoff, Charli Knott, Samantha Bates, Maitlan Brown, Maddie Penna and Milly Illingworth registering alongside Sophie, Heather and Jess, who have been a part of the WPL previously.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and young pacer Mithali Ayodya are also in the pool, along with South Africa's quartet of Nonkululeko Mlaba, Annerie Dercksen, Kayla Reyneke and Chloe Tryon, and Ireland's seam-bowling all-rounder Orla Prendergast.

Scotland lead the Associate contingent, with sisters Sarah and Kathryn Bryce, who have played in the WPL previously, as well as Darcey Carter and Kirstie Gordon in the fray. Babette de Leede and Esha Oza, captains of the Netherlands and UAE respectively, complete the list.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and young pacer Mithali Ayodya are also in the pool, along with South Africa's quartet of Nonkululeko Mlaba, Annerie Dercksen, Kayla Reyneke and Chloe Tryon, and Ireland's seam-bowling all-rounder Orla Prendergast.

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Article Source: IANS