WPL 2023: Best XI of costliest players from auction

In the first Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction, that took place on February 13 in Mumbai, some renowned names went under the hammer. However, keeping the reputation aside, the franchises splurged big money on the in-form players to strengthen their squad for the upcoming tournament. Talking about players getting sold at the auction, it would be crucial for them to show up in the competition and stand up to the expectations. In the much-awaited tournament, eyes will be set on a set of players who grabbed eyeballs at the auction by getting sold at colossal prices. After emerging as huge buys at the auction, these players will have to be at their best and justify their amount to help their respective franchises have a successful campaign. On that note, here is the best XI of the most expensive players from WPL auction 1. Beth Mooney Australia's Beth Mooney went to Gujarat Giants (GG) at the Player Auction for INR 2 crore. The wicketkeeper-batter’s name was announced at the event with her base price of INR 40 lakh. However, thanks to her extraordinary talent and stunning T20I career, RCB and MI also raised their bidding paddles to acquire her services. In 2022, Mooney dominated bowlers with her courageous batting attitude. Amassing 449 runs in 14 T20I matches at a strike rate of 134.43, she looked terrific for her national side. Noting her outstanding record as an opener, the GG management could provide her with the responsibility to deliver fierce starts to the team as an opener. In her country’s Women's Big Bash League competition, she features among the top players. Back in 2018 and 2019, she helped Brisbane Heat to win consecutive titles with her powerful batting performances in both finals. This year, her WPL franchise will also want her to show her best side and help the franchise to pull off the prestigious trophy on March 26, 2023. Click here to know more about the latest news and updates of WPL Schedule. 2. Smriti Mandhana Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) reserved Smriti Mandhana’s services for the inaugural WPL edition. The franchise spent INR 3.4 crore on the top-order batter and made her the costliest player at the auction. Now, after getting signed at this humongous amount, Mandhana will have to deliver standout displays to the franchise. The 26-year-old is famous for her aggressive batting style and with that, she will strive to achieve success in the upcoming tournament. In 2022, she was amazing with her bat scoring 594 runs with five half-centuries in 23 T20Is at a strike rate of 133.48. In the maiden WPL edition, she will be a core player of the RCB as her contributions during batting and fielding will be important for RCB to taste success. The Southpaw will also be seen leading the side as RCB named her the skipper for the inaugural edition of the tournament. 3. Jemimah Rodrigues Jemimah Rodrigues looked in decent form in T20Is in 2022. The fearless top-order batter piled up 463 runs with three fifties in 20 matches at a strike rate of 121.84. In the 2022 Women’s T20 Asia Cup as well, Rodrigues ended up becoming the top-scorer smashing 217 runs with two half-centuries in eight matches at a strike rate of 135.62. With her contribution, India also won the continental trophy for the record seventh time. She recently went under the hammer at the 2023 WPL Player Auction with her base price of INR 50 lakh. However, noting her capability and recent powerful performances, Delhi Capitals (DC) signed her for INR 2.2 crore after vanquishing Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz in a bidding war. In the DC squad, Rodrigues will be seen bolstering the team with her batting in the middle order. With her, renowned names such as Shafali Verma, Mag Lanning, and Laura Harris will also add strength to the batting line-up. 4. Nat Sciver-Brunt Nat Sciver-Brunt has been representing England in T20Is since 2013. With her remarkable all-round skills, she has taken her national side home in a lot of contests. Looking at her stunning record as an all-rounder, she was one of the favourites to receive a huge sum at the 2023 WPL auction. At the event in Mumbai, she got INR 3.2 crore from MI and became the joint second-most expensive player along with Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner. Now, in the next month’s marquee tournament, she will look to dominate the opponents with her game and help the team achieve the title. In her prolonged international career, Sciver has hit 2135 runs and picked 79 wickets for England in 107 T20I games. Playing for her national side, the veteran has also played the role of a finisher perfectly. Considering this fact, MI might also assign her the task to finish games for them in her style. 5. Harmanpreet Kaur Mumbai Indians (MI) snapped up Harmanpreet Kaur in the WPL Player Auction at INR 1.8 crore. The current India Women’s captain is an incredible addition to the MI squad as the 33-year-old has achieved a lot in her 14 years of international career. As a batter and skipper, her record is phenomenal. Based on Kaur’s achievements as Indian captain, the MI team management could appoint her as their skipper. With quality players such as Yastika Bhatia, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Issy Wong, and Heather Graham on the side, Kaur could help MI win a title with her leadership qualities. Apart from captaincy, her role will be vital as a batter too as she has proven her mettle with the bat in T20Is. So far, the veteran has notched up 3006 runs with a hundred and nine fifties in 150 matches. With these batting figures, she is also the fourth-highest run-scorer in Women's T20Is. Besides international cricket, she was an important name in WBBL as well due to her all-round talent. 6. Ashleigh Gardner Ashleigh Gardner participated as one of the marquee players at the 2023 WPL auction. Before the event, she was expected to attract a huge amount due to her remarkable ability as an all-rounder. Going through her impactful performance for the Australian team, Gujarat Giants didn’t hesitate to invest INR 3.2 crore to acquire her services. With this whopping sum, she also became the second-most expensive player at the auction, jointly with English all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt. In her six years of T20I career, Gardner has amassed 1116 runs with six fifties in 71 matches at a fine strike rate of 131.44. Talking about her bowling performance, she has scalped 50 wickets at an economy of 6.23. The Aussie player is not new to league cricket as she is active in WBBL since 2015. In the domestic Australian T20 tournament, Gardner represents Sydney Sixers and has racked up 2,215 runs and picked 65 wickets in 111 matches. 7. Richa Ghosh The Indian wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh became one of the most expensive players in the WPL Player Auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked her at a good sum of INR 1.9 crore. The youngster’s role in the team will be to provide strength to the middle-order with her batting. In the last few years, she has emerged as a match-finisher for the Indian team due to her power-hitting ability. The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter’s recent batting numbers are excellent as she smashed 259 runs in 18 matches played in 2022, at a magnificent strike rate of 150.58. In the RCB squad, Ghosh will be a key batter along with Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight and Dane van Niekerk. As a finisher, she might also get stern competition from her teammate Ellyse Perry, who has delivered a lot of match-winning knocks to the Australian team. 8. Deepti Sharma Deepti Sharma has shown her class in the last few matches for India. Donning the blue jersey, Sharma has won some important games recently. In 2022, she guided India to the seventh Asia Cup title with her sensational all-round performances. With the ball, she claimed 13 wickets in eight matches at an economy of 3.33 and became the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. As a batter too, she exuded confidence scoring 94 runs with a strike rate of 132.39. At the Player Auction of WPL, she became the third-most expensive player as she got sold to UP Warriorz for INR 2.6 crore. The franchise succeeded in getting her after engaging in a bidding battle with Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Gujarat Giants (GG). As an ideal all-rounder, her responsibility will be not only to show her best with the ball but play as a match-finisher as well. For the national team, Sharma has played many explosive knocks with her batting potential. In the mega T20 tournament next month, she will be expected to become a key player in the squad. 9. Pooja Vastrakar Pooja Vastrakar will be seen in MI colours at the marquee event to be held next month. The franchise signed the young gun at INR 1.9 crore after having a bidding battle with Delhi Capitals (DC). The medium pacer will have to deliver her best as a medium pacer to reinforce MI’s bowling unit. Vastrakar is a part of the Indian T20I cricket team since February 2018. So far, she has bagged 30 wickets for the national team in 47 T20Is at an economy of 6.14. In 2022, she became the leading wicket-taker in the fourth edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge. For her team Supernovas, she took six wickets in three games at an economy of 7.10. In the first edition of the tournament, MI will look to live their best and lift the trophy. However, to make that possible, Vastrakar’s contribution will be essential as she will lead MI’s bowling unit with her experience. 10. Sophie Ecclestone Before the auction, Sophie Ecclestone was expected to make it big due to her rich history and experience in international cricket. At the event, all speculations turned true as she was featured on the list of one of the most expensive players after getting sold to UP Warrioz (UPW) for a sum of INR 1.8 crore. In the international arena, Ecclestone’s record is impressive as she has picked 94 wickets in 69 T20I matches at an economy of 5.77. In 2022, the English left-arm spinner hunted 19 wickets for her national side in 17 T20Is at an economy of 5.86. Considering her current form, UPW will expect her to dominate the batters with her spin bowling on turning wickets of India. Ecclestone’s role will be vital for UPW as she will provide support to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who will be seen spearheading the team’s bowling attack. The 23-year-old will also look to use her vast league cricket experience as she has represented some top franchises in popular T20 tournaments such as WBBL and The Hundred (Women). 11. Renuka Singh Renuka Singh is serving the Indian team in T20 Internationals (T20Is) since 2021. In her one-and-a-half years of T20I experience, she has delivered a few match-winning performances to the Indian cricket team. At the WPL auction, she registered her name with a base price of INR 50 lakh. However, with her current form and recent bowling numbers, she bagged a fine deal at the auction. Her name attracted the attention of Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Gujarat Giants (GG). In the end, RCB was the one who got her for INR 1.5 crore. Now, after becoming one of the costliest players at the Mumbai event, she will look forward to showcasing her best with the ball. The 27-year-old will get the support of Megan Schutt, Ellyse Perry, and Dane van Niekerk to reinforce the bowling attack of the team.

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WPL 2023: Best XI of costliest players from auction

These players attracted the franchises and became the top picks at the auction.

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