The five franchises in the WPL have made their moves, assembling their strongest possible squads for the upcoming season. The mini-auction in Kochi witnessed 25 of the 27 vacant spots being filled at a combined cost of ₹6.25 crore.
UP Warriorz entered the auction with the biggest purse and had eight spots to fill. They spent the most, as was expected. Mumbai Indians kept a low profile, given their purse ahead of the event, and filled the remaining spots in their squad, with most purchases coming at the base price.
With the squads now shaped up for the upcoming season, the central question is who actually won the first battle by getting things spot on at the auction.
What do the auction numbers reveal?
A total of 150 players registered for the mini-auction. Of these, 72 went under the hammer, while 78 names remained uncalled. Of the 72 players auctioned, 47 went unsold, resulting in a sale percentage of 34.7%.
Of the 25 sales, 22 happened at the base price. Only three players commanded a premium over their registered base prices. Sophie Molineux became the most expensive player of the event at ₹1.10 crore, against a base price of ₹50 lakh. She fetched 2.2 times her base price, a premium of ₹60 lakh.
{{/usCountry}}Of the 25 sales, 22 happened at the base price. Only three players commanded a premium over their registered base prices. Sophie Molineux became the most expensive player of the event at ₹1.10 crore, against a base price of ₹50 lakh. She fetched 2.2 times her base price, a premium of ₹60 lakh.
{{/usCountry}}The other two players to command premiums were Kiran Navgire, sold for ₹75 lakh against a base price of ₹40 lakh, and Shweta Sehrawat, sold for ₹20 lakh against a base price of ₹10 lakh. These three players accounted for 24 of the 46 accepted bids.
All-rounders were the most sought-after players during the auction. Thirteen of the 25 players bought, or 52%, belonged to this category. Meanwhile, seven batters, three specialist bowlers and two wicketkeepers were also acquired by the franchises.
The spending pattern of the franchises
UP Warriorz had ₹3.75 crore coming into the auction. They filled all eight vacant slots at a cost of ₹2.60 crore, accounting for 41.6% of the evening's expenditure. Mumbai Indians bought six players for a combined ₹70 lakh. They emerged as the most economical buyers, spending around ₹11.7 lakh per signing.
Of the total purse available to the franchises ahead of the auction, ₹1.90 crore remained unspent. Once again, UP Warriorz topped this list, retaining the largest surplus after the event. They still had ₹1.15 crore left in their purse when the auction came to a close.
Each team is allowed a maximum of 18 players in the tournament. Three of the five teams filled their squads, while RCB and DC stopped at 17 players each, as they were left with less than the minimum ₹10 lakh required to buy another player.
Strengths of the five teams
The defending champions had already secured a settled core ahead of the auction, with Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Georgia Voll. The return of Ellyse Perry added to their strength. They had a few targeted requirements at the auction, and they played the waiting game to perfection, walking away with a balanced squad.
RCB acquired Jess Jonassen for ₹40 lakh, Chloe Tryon for ₹30 lakh, Tejal Hasabnis for ₹30 lakh and Vrinda Dinesh for ₹10 lakh. While Jonassen and Tryon will offer power in the middle order along with greater selection flexibility, Hasabnis can be a valuable addition to their Indian batting unit. Dinesh adds further depth to the department.
The Capitals had only Mamatha Madiwala as their wicketkeeping option ahead of the auction. The expectation was that, with Lizelle Lee gone, they would look for a wicketkeeper who could also add to their batting firepower. However, the Capitals did not take that route.
They bought Kiran Navgire for ₹75 lakh, Uma Kashvi for ₹10 lakh, Kirstie Gordon for ₹10 lakh and Nazma Khan for ₹10 lakh. Gordon, being an Associate player, gives them considerable flexibility in the bowling attack, with the option to field her as a fifth overseas player. Kashvi and Khan also bring depth and variation. But opting for Navgire instead of addressing their wicketkeeping requirement might leave them struggling for balance during the tournament.
Mumbai Indians already had a strong squad before the auction. They spent judiciously, looking to add depth to their squad rather than pursuing one or two marquee signings. The additions of Shweta Sehrawat, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal, Saanika Chalke and Akshita Bhagat have given them the cover they were looking for. But after releasing Kamalini, with Firdous and Inamdar as their wicketkeeping options, they will have to contend with inexperience in the department.
The Giants entered the auction with arguably the most complete squad. They had all bases covered and only three vacant spots left. The Giants bought Kamalini for ₹40 lakh, Orla Prendergast for ₹30 lakh and Samaira Raghav for ₹10 lakh.
The Giants could face a problem of plenty. They now have Kamalini as a top-order keeper-batter, with Beth Mooney already fulfilling that role. An all-rounder like Orla Prendergast might spend much of her time on the bench, given the team's already established overseas combination. How they resolve their selection dilemma and settle on the final XI during the season will be interesting to watch.
UP Warriorz had the biggest task, and they were the busiest team at the auction. They bought Sophie Molineux for ₹1.10 crore, Grace Harris for ₹30 lakh, Sneh Rana for ₹30 lakh, Sushma Verma for ₹30 lakh, Asha Sobhana for ₹30 lakh, Kathryn Bryce for ₹10 lakh, Manali Dakshini for ₹10 lakh and Sahana Pawar for ₹10 lakh.
The biggest question concerns their most expensive acquisition. They already had Sophie Ecclestone in their squad and then went on to buy Molineux at a premium. The upcoming season could therefore see a high-priced overseas acquisition spending time on the bench for the Warriorz.
Buying Grace Harris will give them the middle-order firepower they lacked last season. Sushma Verma was a shrewd acquisition. She could keep wicket and open the innings for them. Kathryn Bryce will allow them to field five overseas players while adding dynamism to the playing XI. The additions of Sneh Rana and Asha Sobhana also bring experience and variation to their bowling attack.
Conclusion
Different teams approached this task with different intentions and objectives. Some were spot on, while others made some apparently questionable moves. However, the rationale behind those decisions is best known to the franchises, and it will be interesting to see how they put the different pieces of the puzzle together.