The WPL 2025 mini-auction will take place on December 15 in Bengaluru. Each of the five franchises will have a budget of INR 15 crore, an increase from last year’s INR 13.5 crore, to strengthen their squads.
Top international stars like England captain Heather Knight, New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu, and West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin will be available for bidding. Indian players like allrounder Sneh Rana, legspinner Poonam Yadav, and batter Veda Krishnamurthy are likely to attract bids.
Delhi Capitals, led by Meg Lanning and runners-up in 2023 and 2024, have the smallest purse of INR 2.5 crore. In contrast, Gujarat Giants, who finished last in the first two seasons, will have the largest budget of INR 4.4 crore to rebuild their squad, having released seven players. Defending champions, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who have Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine, will also be active in the market with INR 3.25 crore available after releasing seven players, including Heather Knight, who had missed the previous season due to international duties.
During the pre-season trade window, RCB acquired England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge from UP Warriorz. Wyatt-Hodge did not feature in any games for UP Warriorz during the previous season.
The inaugural season of the WPL took place entirely in Mumbai, while the second edition featured matches in Bengaluru and New Delhi. The BCCI plans to expand the venues gradually, though teams are keen on a home-and-away format. The third season will be held in February-March 2025, with future editions set to follow a new window from January 2026.
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