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WPL 2027 Retentions: RCB releases Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry returns; check the full list of retained and released players for all 5 teams.
The retention and release lists for all five teams participating in the fifth season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2027 have been revealed. Reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have made significant changes to their squad for the upcoming season, releasing all-rounder Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, D. Hemalatha, and Gautami Naik. Meanwhile, Australian star Ellyse Perry—who missed the previous season due to personal reasons—has confirmed her availability and will once again play for RCB.
RCB Head Coach Malolan Rangarajan said, "Perry expressed her desire to return to RCB around August. Her presence strengthens every department of the team. We have retained our core group of 13 players, comprising nine Indians and four overseas players."
The math behind team decisions and auction purses
- UP Warriors (UPW): Bottom of the table for the 2026 season, UP Warriors have released the most players, nine . These include foreign players Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon, Charlie Knott, and Amy Jones. UP head coach Abhishek Nayar stated that Dottin's batting has been disappointing over the past year, so the team is looking for a player who can play at a strike rate of 130-140. UP has the largest purse of ₹3.65 crore for the auction.
- Delhi Capitals (DC): Four-time runners-up Delhi Capitals have released six players including Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia.
- Gujarat Giants (GG): Gujarat has released Danielle Wyatt-Hodge. According to head coach Michael Klinger, Wyatt-Hodge was a backup opener and has a series against England scheduled during the WPL, so the auction will focus on finding new overseas options.
- Mumbai Indians (MI): Two-time champions Mumbai Indians have released six players, including Saikha Ishak and G Kamalini.Kamalini will be unavailable for the WPL due to the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup. Mumbai have the lowest purse of ₹1 crore left in the auction.
WPL 2027 will be held from January 14 to February 7, while the mini auction of players will be held on October 28 in Kochi .
Squad Breakdown of retained and released players for all 5 teams
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
- Released Players: Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, D Hemalatha, Gautami Nayak.
- Retained players: Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wall, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Pratyusha Kumar, Prerna Rawat, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana.
- Vacant slots: 5 (2 foreigners) | Remaining purse: ₹1.15 crore
2. Delhi Capitals (DC)
- Released Players: Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia, Pragati Singh, Edla Srijana.
- Retained players: Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Laura Wolvaardt, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Diya Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mamta Madiwala, Minnu Mani, N Sri Charani, Nandani Sharma, Niki Prasad, Shefali Verma.
- Vacant slots: 5 (1 foreigner) | Remaining purse: ₹1.10 crore
3. Gujarat Giants (GG)
- Released Players: Daniel Waite-Hodge, Aayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Shivani Singh.
- Retained players: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvi Gautam, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Yastika Bhatia.
- Vacant slots: 3 (1 foreigner) | Remaining purse: ₹1.25 crore
4. Mumbai Indians (MI)
- Released Players: Millie Illingworth, G Kamalini, Kranthi Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Saiqa Ishak, Triveni Vashisht.
- Retained players: Mellie Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajjana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Vaishnavi Sharma.
- Vacant slots: 7 (1 foreigner) | Remaining purse: ₹1.00 crore
5. UP Warriors (UPW)
- Released players: Amy Jones, Charlie Knott, Chloe Tryon, Deandra Dottin, Asha Shobana, G Trisha, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Suman Meena.
- Retained players: Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Tara Norris, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Sheikh.
- Vacant slots: 7 (2 foreigners) | Remaining purse: ₹3.65 crore
