The upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction is set to occur on Thursday, November 27, as per Sportstar. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the five franchises that the auction will be a single-day event held at a hotel in Aerocity.
Franchises were required to submit their list of retained players by the November 5 deadline, with the complete pool of auction-eligible players set to be released on November 7.
In the previous season, the five WPL franchises retained a total of 71 players, leaving only 19 spots available for the upcoming auction. With a retention cap of five players per team, significant changes and fierce bidding battles are expected this season.
As per the revised rules, each team can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players, while adhering to the overall limit of five.
The BCCI has designated a Rs 15 crore auction purse, with specific retention slabs outlined: Rs 3.5 crore for Player 1, Rs 2.5 crore for Player 2, Rs 1.75 crore for Player 3, and Rs 1 crore for Player 4. Retaining a fifth player will result in a deduction of Rs 50 lakh.
In a new addition, the Right to Match (RTM) card will be introduced for the first time, enabling franchises to repurchase a released player by matching the highest bid made for them during the auction. However, teams retaining all five players will incur a deduction of Rs 9.25 crore from their purse and will not be able to use any RTM cards.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions heading into the 2025 season, having clinched the WPL trophy in 2023 and 2024, triumphing over Delhi Capitals (DC) in both finals. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign in the previous season, failing to make it to the Eliminator stage in 2023 and 2025.