WPL 2026 Auction Rules Explained: Up to five players may be retained by a club via direct retention or the Right to Match (RTM) option during the WPL 2026 auction, which is set for Thursday, November 27 in New Delhi. At the mega auction, 277 players will be put up for sale. The list comprises 194 Indians, 52 of them capped, along with 83 abroad players, including 66 capped internationals.
Eight prominent names, including Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh from India, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr from New Zealand, Sophie Ecclestone from England, Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning from Australia, and Laura Wolvaardt from South Africa, will make up the marquee set that will kick off the WPL 2026 auction. The starting price for each of them is Rs 50 lakh.
Up to 73 spots will be filled by the five clubs, with squad sizes of 15–18 permitted. The Delhi Capitals will bring the smallest purse, Rs 5.70 crore, while the UP Warriorz will bring the most, Rs 14.5 crore.
A roster of up to eighteen players may be assembled by each WPL club. The five teams in the WPL mega auction have a total of 73 seats up for grabs, including 23 positions abroad. According to the WPL auction regulations, teams may repurchase a player who was a member of their squad in 2025 using up to five Right to Match (RTM) options, contingent on the number of retentions.
Notably, the clubs that kept fewer players will enter the mega auction with more cash and more RTM possibilities. At the 2026 WPL auction, each club will have a total budget of INR 41.1 crore to spend.
A player is considered uncapped if she has not yet made her national team debut. This also implies that players who have even represented the ‘A’ squad against foreign opponents will fall under the uncapped group.
No, the WPL 2026 season will not use the Impact Player rule.
WPL 2026 Auction: All Teams’ Slots and Purse Remaining Delhi Capitals (13 slots available): Rs 5.70 crore
Gujarat Giants: Rs 9 crore (16 spots available)
Mumbai Indians: Rs 5.75 crore (13 spots available)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (14 spots available) Rs 6.15 crore
UP Warriorz: Rs 14.50 crore (17 spots available)
In India, the JioHotstar app and website will broadcast live coverage of the Women’s Premier League 2026 auction. In India, the Star Sports Network carried the live broadcast of the blockbuster auction.
