The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction was a massive affair. The five teams spent INR 40.8 crore to build their squads.
There were intense bidding battles, some bargain buys, and a few shocking picks. But what stood out were the expensive buys.
Here we’ll look at the top five most expensive players in the WPL 2026 auction.
5. Meg Lanning | 1.90 Crore to UPW
Delhi Capitals (DC) not retaining Meg Lanning was a bit of a shocker. After all, she had led them to three finals.
When Lanning’s name came up, DC did try to get her back. But they lost the race to UP Warriorz, who were desperate to have a player of her calibre.
A bid that opened at 50 lakh zoomed to 1.90 crore, at which price UPW secured Lanning’s services.
4. Sophie Devine | 2 Crore to GG
Even though Sophie Devine missed the last season, she was the point of attraction in this auction. The reason? Her power-hitting skills.
There was a three-way battle to secure the New Zealand veteran. Gujarat Giants (GG) opened the bid at 50 lakh. Devine’s former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), joined right after.
The GG-RCB battle went on till 1 crore before DC’s entry. GG were adamant on signing Devine. And they did as DC pushed back at the 2-crore mark.
3. Shikha Pandey | 2.40 Crore to UPW
Shikha Pandey saw her WPL salary rise four times, from 60 lakh to 2.40 crore. Although she is nowhere near India’s squad, two teams showed interest.
UPW were the first to open the bid at 40 lakh. RCB swooped in right after to start a bidding war.
Both teams wanted to have an experienced Pandey in their ranks. A limited budget saw RCB back off, paving the way for Pandey to join UPW.
2. Amelia Kerr | 3 Crore to MI
Since teams could retain only five players, Mumbai Indians (MI) had no other option but to release Amelia Kerr in the auction pool. But they wanted their top performer back at any cost.
So MI spent about 52 per cent of their auction purse to buy back Kerr! And why not? After all, Kerr played a major role in MI’s two title victories.
MI faced a steep challenge from UPW, but they didn’t budge. They went all out and secured the New Zealand all-rounder for 3 crore.
1. Deepti Sharma | 3.20 Crore to UPW
When UPW announced their retentions, Deepti Sharma’s name wasn’t there. It was a surprising omission, given her all-round capabilities.
Even when her name came up in the auction, DC were the only team to bid for her at the base price of 50 lakh. UPW then swooped in with their Right-to-Match (RTM) card.
DC then raised the bid to 3.20 crore, which UPW agreed to buy back Deepti for, making her the joint second-most expensive player in WPL auction history.
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