The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction is imminent, and the five participating franchises have finalized their retentions. As expected, several high-profile players have been retained, while some notable performers from the recently concluded Women’s World Cup 2025 have been released.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma are among the prominent players who will continue with their respective WPL franchises. However, big names like Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr, and Deepti Sharma have been released. Each franchise was allowed to retain a maximum of five players.
The Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals have utilized all five retentions, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru has retained four players. Gujarat Giants has retained two players, and UP Warriorz has retained only one player. The retained players have been categorized into various price brackets ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction.
A team-wise breakdown of the retentions reveals that UP Warriorz has retained batting all-rounder Shweta Sehrawat for ₹50 lakhs. Gujarat Giants has retained the Australian duo of Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney, with Gardner valued at ₹3.5 crores and Mooney at ₹2.5 crores. Royal Challengers Bengaluru has retained its core, including captain Smriti Mandhana, who has been retained for ₹3.5 crores.
Delhi Capitals has retained Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Niki Prasad, with Jemimah being one of the highest retentions at ₹2.2 crores. Mumbai Indians has retained skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, and Hayley Matthews, with Nat Sciver-Brunt being the first retention at ₹3.5 crores.
The retentions provide insight into the franchises’ strategies ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction. The release of high-profile players like Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning may lead to intense bidding wars during the auction. The WPL 2026 season is expected to be highly competitive, with teams aiming to assemble strong squads to contend for the title. As the auction approaches, fans and pundits alike will be closely watching the developments, eager to see how the teams shape up for the upcoming season.