The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 is right around the corner. But before that, all five teams will have to prepare for a mega auction.
This will be the first mega auction since the WPL started in 2023. So, teams will rebuild their squads again, though they can retain a few players.
The BCCI has shared player retention guidelines with all franchises ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction.
So, how many players can each WPL team retain?
Each WPL team can retain a maximum of five players. They can retain players through a combination of retention and Right-to-Match (RTM) cards (more on this later).
While retaining players, teams need to stick to certain limits. Among the five retentions:
- A maximum of three can be Indian international players
- A maximum of two can be overseas players
- And a maximum of two uncapped Indian players
If a team opts to hold on to five players, then one of them must be an uncapped Indian player.
On top of that, the BCCI has also set price slabs for retentions. What’s that? It’s basically the price at which teams can retain players.
So the retention slabs are:
- First player at INR 3.5 crore
- Second player at INR 2.5 crore
- Third player at INR 1.75 crore
- Fourth player at INR 1 crore
- Fifth player at INR 50 lakh
The slab prices, though, are indicative. So teams can negotiate the retention amount with players. And the retention amount will be docked from the franchise’s auction purse.
So, what if a team makes five retentions? How much will be deducted?
As per the above slabs, five retentions will cost a franchise INR 9.25 crore from its auction purse.
Here’s the breakdown for:
- Four retentions: INR 8.75 crore
- Three retentions: INR 7.75 crore
- Two retentions: INR 6 crore
- One retention: INR 3.50 crore
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What if a team doesn’t retain any player?
In that case, the franchise will walk into the WPL 2026 mega auction with a full purse of INR 15 crore. They can use this amount to buy new players or even for RTMs.
How many RTMs are allowed in the WPL 2026 mega auction?
If a team doesn’t retain any player, then they can use the RTM card five times in the auction. It’s linked to the number of retentions made by each team.
In case a team retains all five players, then they can’t use RTM at all. Four retentions will make one RTM card available, while three retentions will come with two RTMs.
If teams opt for two retentions, then three RTMs will be available. And one retention will see them have four RTM options.
RTMs allow teams to buy back the players in the auction who played for them in the last season.
When is the WPL 2026 mega auction?
The date hasn’t yet been finalised, but it will take place between November 25 and 29, 2025.
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