WPL 2026 auction: Harmanpreet, Smriti, Jemimah among retained players
05 Nov 2025

Ahead of the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) mega auction, franchises have announced their retentions.

Indian cricket stars and World Cup winners Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues have been retained by their respective teams.

However, Shafali Verma's specific team retention is not confirmed, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Australia's Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning as well as New Zealand's Amelia Kerr will go into the auction pool after being released by their franchises.

Deepti Sharma also released by UP Warriorz
Notable releases

Along with Healy and Lanning, other notable players to be released include Deepti Sharma.

She had led the Warriorz in Healy's absence during the 2025 WPL season.

The decision comes as part of a major reshuffle ahead of the upcoming WPL season.

WPL retention rules
Retention strategy

As per the WPL retention rules, franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players.

If a franchise wants to retain five players, at least one should be an uncapped Indian player.

The defending champions Mumbai Indians and Capitals have retained five players each - the maximum allowed by WPL.

Auction purse and guideline prices for retention slabs
Auction details

Franchises will have an auction purse of ₹15 crore for the event, which is likely to be held in Delhi on November 27.

The WPL has also announced the guideline prices for retention slabs: ₹3.5 crore (Player 1), ₹2.5 crore (Player 2), ₹1.75 crore (Player 3), ₹1 crore (Player 4) and ₹50 lakh (Player 5).

If a franchise opts to retain five players, it will be deducted from its purse accordingly.