WPL 2027: Klinger Counts On Scouting And Camps To Navigate Auction Preparation

WPL 2027: Klinger counts on scouting and camps to navigate auction preparation (Mumbai: Gujarat Giants Jersey Launch Ahead of New Season)

Renuka Singh Thakur: Gujarat Giants (GG) head coach Michael Klinger is placing his faith in intensive off-season camps and a broad scouting network to build squad depth in the 2027 Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini-auction to be held in Kochi on October 28.

Unlike previous editions in which the players' auction took place after the women's domestic season began, this year's WPL auction happens just two days after the start of the 2026/27 Indian women’s domestic season on October 26.

GG, who have made it to the Eliminator twice in the last two WPL seasons, retained 15 players and have to fill only three spots, one of which is for an overseas player, with a purse of Rs 1.25 crore.

“Obviously, last domestic season, we were following really closely. You see a lot of players in the WPL, and a few quality players have been released. We're currently having a camp now actually in Bengaluru with our local contracted players, and also some invited players to scout, not only for this auction, but potentially for the next couple of auctions over the next year or two as well, with a mega-auction coming in the following year," Klinger told IANS in a virtual interaction organised by the franchise on Thursday.

“So we've only got either two or three picks in terms of local players in the auction. We're pretty confident with what we've got in options in the starting eleven, so probably looking to build some depth in the squad and we have a luxury, I think, of having most skill sets covered," he said.

With a majority of the core retained, GG are targeting specific backup roles, particularly in fast bowling and batting. “So it's going to be areas, I think, that we can add depth - that could be fast bowling. It could be an extra spare batter, if we feel like that as well. So we're doing some scouting at the moment to work out what we're going to go with at the end of October,” added Klinger.

This is the off-season time in the WPL, and GG have been quick in getting camps up and running, as well as have a close eye on performances of domestic stars like Yastika Bhatia and Anushka Sharma, who are currently with the India ‘A’ team.

“We keep tabs on all our players. We watch them really carefully in domestic cricket. This year probably is a little bit different because in previous years, the player auction has been sort of a month or even more after the start of the domestic season," he said.

“This year, it's only two days after. So we're probably not going to get, I suppose, the feedback from good performances from players in domestic cricket, both ours and also potential buyers in the auction. But we've held two camps just in the last six weeks.

“We held one about six weeks ago with all our local players and a few invited players that we're sort of looking to scout potentially for whether it's this auction or auctions in the future. I'm in Bengaluru as we speak, holding a camp now with all our retained players, plus a couple we released and who we invited to come to the camp to make sure that we keep an eye on them either potentially for this auction coming up or the mega auction next year,” added Klinger.

He also credited team management with investing heavily in year-round player monitoring. “Our management have been fantastic in investing in these sorts of training camps to keep tabs on our own players. We've got our physios and strength and conditioning coaches here to see how they're all traveling physically as well.

“But also just to see what else is out there and keep an eye on it. We've got a great scouting program where we have people going to watch all the domestic competitions and that information getting fed back to me is extremely helpful coming into an auction.”

Klinger also provided an encouraging progress report on fast bowler Kashvee Gautam, who has been out of action since the T20I tour of South Africa due to a knee injury and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

“Her recovery is going well. She's at the CoE at the moment here in Bengaluru, so she's unable to train with us because obviously she's under the BCCI’s guidance. But her return to play is likely to be sometime in October. She's actually been bowling multiple overs regularly.

“So I think it’s six plus overs at the moment per session. But I think India are trying to get her to build up her loads to be able to play 50-over cricket as well, and she's doing that at the moment. So it’s going well - she's batting well in the nets. I feel probably more middle to late October, when they give her the green light to play.

“I know there's an India A series versus an England A series at the end of this month (December), which she's targeting. So hopefully everything keeps going in the right way, and she's back for that, and that'll give her a good six weeks of competitive cricket before WPL. Then obviously, hopefully she can break into that Champions Trophy team with some good cricket coming into that as well,” he revealed.

Beyond the auction, the inclusion of a fully fit Yastika gives GG further tactical freedom to tweak their overseas combination. Bhatia was picked up by Gujarat in the previous auction despite being ruled out of the season due to left ACL surgery, and her return will bolster the top order.

“You've got Yastika now, who I thought was a really good buy for us in the last auction, even knowing she wasn't going to be available this year. That really strengthens our squad and our starting 11 this year. So it gives us options with our overseas players as well. We could go with the same four with multiple all-rounders, or we could go with an out-and-out fast bowler.

“Part of my role, I feel, as a franchise coach is two things: one is to win a trophy, and the second one is to help develop local players to play for their country. So we'll be doing everything we can during the WPL to help players like Yastika, Anushka (Sharma), and Renuka (Singh Thakur) as well... to get back into that Indian starting eleven.”

Addressing squad departures, Klinger explained that fast bowler Titas Sadhu, who was released after not playing WPL 2026 due to a hand injury, is in attendance at GG's off-season camp. “There's no reason we may not look to get her back, but it will also give us a chance to look at some other options as well,” he said.

On releasing Danni Wyatt-Hodge due to schedule overlaps with national duties, Klinger added, “I'm not sure if she's going to enter the auction or not, but she was quite keen to play that series for England around that same time as well. So probably for both parties, it was the best way to go.”

Reflecting on the broader evolution of domestic talent in WPL, Klinger highlighted noticeable athletic and physical improvements among Indian fast bowlers since coming on board, especially with GG having options in Kashvee, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, and Renuka Singh Thakur.

"I feel we've got some really good Indian bowlers within our ranks. Overall, domestically, I think that's probably the area in Indian cricket where they can keep building that depth. There's certainly been a big change from when I sort of started in this role a few years ago, where I feel that, seeing the fast bowling around the country, they're physically better.

“You look at them and watch them bowl, and in the field, they're physically fitter. They're more versatile, they can move better, they're more agile. So I think that's definitely been a difference that I've seen from when I first started, and that's only going to help them be able to maintain their pace and aggression for longer periods of time without injury.

"I feel we've got some really good Indian bowlers within our ranks. Overall, domestically, I think that's probably the area in Indian cricket where they can keep building that depth. There's certainly been a big change from when I sort of started in this role a few years ago, where I feel that, seeing the fast bowling around the country, they're physically better.

Article Source: IANS