NEW DELHI: After India’s marquee World Cup, the spotlight now turns to the Women’s Premier League 2026 as franchises announce their retained players ahead of the mega auction. Teams have made strategic choices, balancing star power and squad depth to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season.

Major players retained ahead of WPL 2026

Franchises have secured some of the biggest names to form the core of their squads. Mumbai Indians retained Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs 2.5 Cr), the World Cup-winning captain, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru held on to Smriti Mandhana (Rs. 3.5 Cr) and Ellyse Perry (Rs. 2 Cr). Delhi Capitals kept Shafali Verma (Rs. 2.2 Cr), the Player of the Match in the recent World Cup final, and Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs. 2.2 Cr).

Meanwhile, India’s star allrounder Deepti Sharma, who had an outstanding tournament and was named Player of the Tournament in both the World Cup and WPL 2024, along with South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who top-scored and led her team to the final in the World Cup, were not retained, making way for strategic squad decisions ahead of the mega auction.

Retained Players Across Teams

  • Mumbai Indians – Nat-Sciver Brunt (Rs. 3.5 Cr), Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs. 2.5 Cr), Hayley Matthews (Rs. 1.75 Cr), Amanjot Kaur (Rs. 1 Cr), G Kamalini (Rs. 50 lakh)

  • Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Smriti Mandhana (Rs. 3.5 Cr), Richa Ghosh (Rs. 2.75 Cr), Ellyse Perry (Rs. 2 Cr), Shreyanka Patil (Rs. 60 lakh)

  • Gujarat Giants – Ashleigh Gardner (Rs. 3.5 Cr), Beth Mooney (Rs. 2.5 Cr)

  • UP Warriorz – Shweta Sehrawat (Rs. 50 lakh)

  • Delhi Capitals – Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs. 2.2 Cr), Shafali Verma (Rs. 2.2 Cr), Annabel Sutherland (Rs. 2.2 Cr), Marizanne Kapp (Rs. 2.2 Cr), Niki Prasad (Rs. 50 lakh)

List of released players

RCB Release List: Sabbineni Meghana, Georgia Wareham (overseas), Asha Shobhana, Sophie Devine (overseas), Renuka Singh, Sophie Molineux (overseas), Ekta Bhist, Kate Cross (overseas), Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt (overseas), Prema Rawat, VJ Joshitha, Raghvi Bisht, Jagravi Pawar

GG Release List: Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Dayalan Hemalatha, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap, Priya Mishra, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakil, Simran Shaikh, Deandra Dottin (overseas), Danielle Gibson (overseas), Prakashika Naik

UPW Release List: Deepti Sharma (c), Alana King (overseas), Gouher Sultana, Saima Thakor, Chinelle Henry (overseas), Grace Harris (overseas), Anjali Sarvani, Kiran Navgire, Sophie Ecclestone (overseas), Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Tahlia Mcgrath (overseas), Chamari Athapaththu (overseas), Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Vrinda Dinesh

MI Release List: Amelia Kerr (overseas), Chloe Tryon (overseas), Jintimani Kalita, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shabnim Ismail (overseas), Amandeep Kaur, S. Sajana, Keerthana Balankrishnan, Nadine de Klerk (overseas), Sanskriti Gupta, Akshita Maheswari

DC Release List: Meg Lanning (c, overseas), Alice Capsey (overseas), Sarah Bryce (overseas), Minnu Mani, Arundhati Reddy, N Charani, Shikha Pandey, Nandini Kashyap, Sneha Deepthi, Jess Jonassen (overseas), Taniyaa Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu

Team Purse Remaining out of 15 Cr (in Rs.)

  • Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 6.15 Cr

  • Mumbai Indians – 5.75 Cr

  • Delhi Capitals – 5.7 Cr

  • Gujarat Giants – 9 Cr

  • UP Warriorz – 14.5 Cr