WPL 2023: Best XI from unsold players at auction

The eagerly-awaited player auction of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League culminated on February 13. T20 stars from around the globe went under the hammer and franchises left no stone turned to acquire them. Smriti Mandhana, Ashleigh Gardner, and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the biggest earners at the marquee event.

Of the 449 players who featured at the WPL 2023 auction, only 87 of them were able to fetch contracts. There were some established performers of the international arena who failed to garner attention from either of the franchises at the auction. Here we form the best XI from the cricketers who could not find any bidders at the marquee event.

Here is the best unsold XI:

1. Chamari Athapaththu

Chamari Athapaththu has been a giant of a player in world cricket. She has tormented bowlers with her marauding bat and amassed truckloads of runs across formats. On her day, the veteran batter has taken down even the best of bowlers and stamped her authority on the cricket field.

Athapaththu has made 90 appearances for Sri Lanka in the 50-over format and aggregated 2840 runs at an average of 31.91. When it comes to the T20Is, the flamboyant cricketer has notched up 2299 runs in 110 matches at a strike rate of 102.58. 

Besides her batting prowess, the 33-year-old is quite handy with the ball and has chipped in with crucial wickets as and when required. Athapaththu has been phenomenal in the international circuit and could have taken the WPL 2023 by storm. However, no franchise was interested in signing her at the auction.