The WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi will include 146 participants fighting for 27 vacant places. Of these, only England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux have placed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool contains 119 Indian players, 22 capped and 97 uncapped, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The foreign pool has 27 players, 14 capped and 13 uncapped, including six from Associate teams, with seven spaces open.
G Kamalini (released by the Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navgire (released by the UP Warriorz), Heather Graham, and Jess Jonassen have registered for the second-highest base fee of INR 40 lakh, while 30 players have registered for INR 30 lakh.
Notable absentees include West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australian legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, DC’s leading run scorer last season, has likewise not listed herself since being released by the organization.
What the teams look like entering the auction
Only two English players, Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh), have registered for the auction, with numerous others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer, and Linsey Smith, choosing to forego the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has discovered that England will play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, coinciding with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is expected to allow players to stay in India to finish the event, the majority of players have chosen to prioritize their international responsibilities ahead of the Champions Trophy later in the month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also thought to be a factor in many English players declining to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the WPL’s highest permitted base price of INR 50 lakh (approximately £40,000).
Molineux was a member of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru title-winning club in 2024, taking 12 wickets in ten games with an economy rate of 7.31.
She was retained with RCB for the 2025 season, but a knee injury forced her out. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for the Gujarat Giants in 2023 before declining to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold at the 2025 auction.
Premier internationals who have offered themselves for INR 30 lakh include Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, and South African allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, which released nine players, would enter the auction with the largest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
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