Women's T20 World Cup 2023: 5 unsold players from WPL auction who performed well in tournament

On February 13, 2023, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction was held at the Jio World Center in Mumbai. The event went remarkable for Smriti Mandhana, Ashleigh Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues as they succeeded in acquiring huge sums from the franchises and became the most expensive players at the event.

After witnessing these players going big at the auction, supporters are excited to watch the tournament next month. Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced the WPL schedule and now these names will look to deliver their best in the maiden season of the competition.

However, some players who were expected to do well at the auction failed to make it to any WPL squad after getting unsold. Going through their experience and potential, it could be said that these players should’ve got signed at the event.

In the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup, these fabled names are looking exceptional and are also featured on the list of players who are dominating the tournament. Noting the performances of these players, some franchises might regret their decision of not picking them at the auction.

Here are five unsold players from WPL auction who have done well in the Women’s T20 World Cup:

5. Ayabonga Khaka

Ayabonga Khaka is one of the senior players in the South Africa squad. She is active in the international circuit since 2012 and has won a lot of games for her national team with her exceptional bowling performances. In T20 Internationals (T20Is), she has claimed 47 wickets for South Africa in 49 matches at an impressive economy of 6.28.

Since 2020, she is active in league cricket too as she participated in the Women’s T20 Challenge representing Supernovas and Velocity in 2020-21 and 2022 respectively. Currently, she is a part of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League since 2022. Despite having vast international and league experience, she didn’t get any buyers at the 2023 WPL player auction.

However, her performance in the Women’s T20 World Cup might give a shock to all the WPL franchises. In the marquee event, she became the highest wicket-taker for her team picking seven wickets in four matches at an economy of 5.33. In the crucial semi-final game against England, she grabbed 4/29 figures with the ball and took the team home.