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The WPL 2026 auction took place in Delhi on Thursday, November 27. A total of 67 players were bought, including 23 overseas players. All five teams together spent INR 40.8 crore.
After the auction, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz had the biggest squads with 18 players each. Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finished with 16 players each.
Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma and New Zealand star Amelia Kerr became the most expensive players in the auction. Both of them had a base price of INR 50 lakh.
Here are the five costliest players from the WPL 2026 auction
1. Deepti Sharma – INR 3.2 Crore
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Deepti Sharma was the most expensive player. Delhi Capitals first bought her for her base price, but UP Warriorz used their Right to Match (RTM) and kept increasing the bid. In the end, UP Warriorz got her for INR 3.2 crore.
Deepti recently won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2025 Women’s World Cup. She took 22 wickets and scored 215 runs.In WPL, she has 507 runs and 27 wickets in 25 matches.
2. Amelia Kerr – INR 3 Crore
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Mumbai Indians bought Amelia Kerr again after a tough bidding fight with UP Warriorz. Kerr has been a key player for MI. She has scored 437 runs and taken 40 wickets in 29 WPL matches.
In international cricket, she has 1,453 runs and 95 wickets in T20Is. She is very good with both bat and ball.
Also Read: GG-W Final Squad for WPL 2026: Full List of Retained & New Players with Prices
3. Shikha Pandey – INR 2.4 Crore
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UP Warriorz bought senior Indian bowler Shikha Pandey for INR 2.4 crore. Her base price was INR 40 lakh.
Shikha has taken 122 wickets for India across all formats. She has also played in the WBBL and WCPL.
In WPL, she has 30 wickets in 27 matches at a good economy rate of 6.96.
4. Sophie Devine – INR 2 Crore
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Gujarat Giants bought New Zealand star Sophie Devine for INR 2 crore, beating Delhi Capitals in the bidding.
Devine has huge T20 experience. In the WBBL, she has scored 4,072 runs and taken 116 wickets.
In WPL, she has scored 402 runs at a high strike rate of 153.43 and has also taken nine wickets.
5. Meg Lanning – INR 1.9 Crore
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UP Warriorz also bought Meg Lanning for INR 1.9 crore. DC tried to keep her, but UPW won the bidding battle.
Lanning has led Delhi Capitals to three straight WPL finals. She is one of the best leaders in women’s cricket.
She has scored 952 runs in 27 WPL matches with nine half-centuries.
Conclusion
The WPL 2026 auction showed how much teams value top-quality players. Stars like Deepti Sharma, Amelia Kerr, Shikha Pandey, Sophie Devine, and Meg Lanning earned big money because of their skill and experience. Fans can look forward to an exciting season ahead.
Also Read: UP-W Final Squad for WPL 2026: Full List of Retained & New Players with Prices
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