WPL 2027 Auction: UPW land Molineux, DC’s Navgire gamble and biggest takeaways
The WPL 2027 auction took place in Kochi on Wednesday, with all five franchises making additions to their respective squads for the upcoming season. Australia’s recent T20 World Cup-winning captain, Sophie Molineux, attracted the highest bid of INR 1.10 crore as UP Warriorz (UPW) secured her services.
While most teams focused on adding backup options, as expected, in a mini-auction, several decisions still caught fans by surprise. Here is a look at how each franchise fared and the key takeaways from their auction strategy.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
The defending champions entered the auction late but eventually picked up four players: Jess Jonassen, Chloe Tryon, Vrinda Dinesh and Tejal Hasabnis. While all four could face a challenge in securing regular places in the playing XI, they offer Smriti Mandhana’s side experienced options and additional depth.
As per RCB’s press release, head coach Malolan Rangarajan echoed that approach, saying: “One of the key things for us was identifying experienced players who have already been part of the WPL environment. We now have a very good mix of experienced players and a couple of youngsters who are looking to play for the country.”
Full Squad
Wicketkeepers: Richa Ghosh, Prathyoosha Kumar
Batters: Vrinda Dinesh, Tejal Hasabnis, Smriti Mandhana (C), Georgia Voll
All-rounders: Chloe Tryon, Jess Jonassen, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Prema Rawat, Nadine de Klerk, Ellyse Perry
Bowlers: Radha Yadav, Pooja Vastrakar, Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Before the auction, many DC fans expected the franchise to target a wicketkeeper, having retained only Mamatha Madiwala in that role. Surprisingly, they failed to secure another option. Among their notable additions were Nazma Khan and 15-year-old Uma Kashvi, while the franchise also showed faith in Kiran Navgire and Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon.
Navgire brings experience and explosive batting potential, but her inconsistency raised questions over the decision to pay INR 75 lakh for her, making her the most expensive Indian player at the auction. During WPL 2026, while playing for UP Warriorz, she managed just 16 runs in six innings.
As per DC’s press release, head coach Jonathan Batty explained the acquisition, saying: “Kiran was a high-value target for us. She’s probably the most dynamic and powerful batter in the auction. With Shafali at the top of the order and power further down the lineup with players like Chinelle Henry, Kiran gives us another dimension to consider in our batting order. It has the potential to make our batting lineup absolutely staggering”
Full Squad
Wicketkeeper: Mamatha Madiwala
Batters: Kiran Navgire, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (C), Deeya Yadav
All-rounders: Nazma Khan, Uma Kashvi, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Lucy Hamilton, Chinelle Henry, Annabel Sutherland
Bowlers: Kirstie Gordon, Nandni Sharma, Shree Charani, Minnu Mani
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Mumbai Indians entered the auction with all their overseas slots filled and the lowest available purse of INR 90 lakh. Their priority was therefore to add Indian domestic players, primarily as backup options. They did so by acquiring Latika Inamdar, Disha Kasat, Saanika Chalke, Akshita Bhagat and Bharti Rawal.
According to Cricinfo, newly appointed head coach Luke Williams said: “Obviously, with the retentions, we had a sort of solid core group that we were able to retain. So, certainly, today was about trying to add to the group, whether that’s in the starting XI potentially, or if not, providing different options and coverage through the tournament, depending on what surfaces we play on and if there’s any injuries or players out of form.”
Full Squad
Wicketkeepers: Rahila Firdous, Latika Inamdar
Batters: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Disha Kasat, Shweta Sehrawat, Saanika Chalke
All-rounders: Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Akshita Bhagat
Bowlers: Tara Norris, Shabnim Ismail, Bharti Rawal, Vaishnavi Sharma
Gujarat Giants (GG)
Gujarat Giants already had a squad featuring several all-rounders before the auction and strengthened that department further by adding Samaira Raghav and Ireland’s Orla Prendergast. Samaira, just 16, has been making waves in domestic T20s with her powerful hitting down the order.
Another significant addition was G Kamalini. The 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter brings further batting firepower to Ashleigh Gardner’s side.
According to GG’s press release, head coach Michael Klinger expressed his excitement, saying: “Kamalini gives us an aggressive option throughout the batting order, Orla brings real all-round quality as a wicket taking medium pacer, and Samaira adds explosive power in the middle order. The new signings complement our retained players and give us more options.”
Full Squad
Wicketkeepers: Beth Mooney, Yastika Bhatia, G Kamalini
Batters: Bharti Fulmali
All-rounders: Ashleigh Gardner (C), Sophie Devine, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Kim Garth, Samaira Raghav, Orla Prendergast
Bowlers: Renuka Singh Thakur, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
UP Warriorz (UPW)
UP Warriorz entered the auction with the highest available purse of INR 3.75 crore and eight slots to fill. They were expected to secure some high-impact players and did so by signing Australia’s recent T20 World Cup-winning captain Sophie Molineux for INR 1.10 crore.
Grace Harris and Asha Sobhana are set to return to the UPW setup, while the additions of Sushma Verma, Sneh Rana and Kathryn Bryce also attracted attention. Their spin department now features Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sophie Molineux, Sophie Ecclestone and Asha Sobhana, offering plenty of variety, with part-time options in Harris and Pratika Rawal as well.
As per UPW’s press release, head coach Abhishek Nayar highlighted how clearly the franchise had identified the players it wanted to bring in.
“We went into the auction with a clear idea of the kind of squad we wanted to build. Sophie Molineux was a key addition for us, and we are delighted to have secured her services. Along with Grace Harris, Sneh Rana and the other players we have brought in, she gives us a lot of quality and flexibility.”
Full Squad
Wicketkeepers: Sushma Verma, Shipra Giri
Batters: Meg Lanning (C), Pratika Rawal, Phoebe Litchfield, Simran Shaikh, Grace Harris
All-rounders: Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Sophie Molineux, Sneh Rana, Kathryn Bryce, Manali Dakshini
Bowlers: Kranti Gaud, Shikha Pandey, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana, Sahana Pawar
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