WPL 2024 auction to take place in Mumbai on December 9

The highly-anticipated player auction for the 2024 season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) is scheduled to take place in Mumbai on December 9. In this exciting event, each of the five teams will receive an extra purse of INR 1.5 crore, equivalent to approximately US $180,228. This financial boost is in addition to any remaining balance from the previous auction and funds obtained from player releases.

A total of 30 slots, featuring nine international players, will be up for grabs during the day-long auction. The five franchises have retained 60 players, including 21 overseas, and released 29. The funds from player releases, along with any remaining balance from the previous auction, will augment the starting purse of INR 1.5 crore for an exciting and potentially game-changing bidding session.

The inaugural season of WPL enjoyed immediate success, showcasing top-notch talent from various nations, except Pakistan. The tournament consisted of 22 matches and was hosted at three Mumbai venues. As of now, the BCCI has not informed the franchises about the dates and format for the second edition – whether it will involve home-and-away fixtures at multiple venues or maintain the previous single-city format.

Rupee reached its exhaustion during first season of WPL

During the previous year's auction, seven players clinched impressive deals worth INR 2 crore, with three star players, namely Smriti Mandhana, Ashleigh Gardner, and Nat Sciver-Brunt breaching the INR 3-crore milestone. In the inaugural WPL season, teams had a budget of INR 12 crore (approximately US $1.44 million) to assemble their squads, and remarkably, two of the five franchises fully utilized this substantial amount.

The reigning champions, Mumbai Indians, and UP Warriorz have their full budgets intact. Among the other three teams, Gujarat Giants have INR 5 lakhs (approximately US $6007), Delhi Capitals retain INR 35 lakhs (around US $42,053), while Royal Challengers Bangalore hold INR 10 lakhs (approximately US $12,015) as their remaining balance.