WPL 2026 Auction: Deepti Sharma returns to UP Warriorz and Sophie Devine joins Gujarat Giants

On Thursday, the WPL 2026 Mega Auction occurred in New Delhi and featured 277 players, much to the excitement of many fans across India. This included 194 indian players and 83 international players. The day was full of drama as franchises aimed to build competitive teams through veteran all-rounders. The two main stories for the day were Sophie Devine being traded to the Gujarat Giants and Deepti Sharma being re-signed by the UP Warriorz.

Former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was signed by Gujarat Giants for ₹2 crore. The all-rounder had missed the previous edition of the WPL due to a personal break but made a strong return to the auction list. Devine played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first two seasons and was part of the title-winning RCB team in 2024.

Indian star Deepti Sharma was also at the center of an intense bidding battle. Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz went head-to-head before UPW used their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain her for ₹3.2 crore. Deepti has been one of the most consistent and reliable all-rounders in the league since the first season.

Sophie Devine’s Move to Gujarat Giants and Deepti Sharma’s Retention by UP Warriorz Through RTM

Sophie Devine brings vast experience and power to Gujarat Giants. Across 18 WPL matches, she has scored 402 runs at an average of 23.65 and a high strike rate of 153.44. She has also taken nine wickets with the ball. Her 36-ball 99 for RCB against Gujarat Giants in 2024 is still one of the highest individual scores in the league. Recently, Devine retired from ODI cricket after playing her 159th match, becoming the only New Zealand player to score over 4,000 ODI runs and pick more than 100 wickets. She also led New Zealand to T20 World Cup glory in Dubai last year.

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Deepti Sharma’s value was once again proven during the 2026 auction. Starting at a base price of ₹50 lakh, she attracted strong bids before UP Warriorz used the RTM card to match Delhi Capitals’ ₹3.2 crore bid. Previously signed for ₹2.6 crore in the first-ever WPL auction, Deepti has been one of UPW’s most important players. She was their leading run-scorer in WPL 2024 with 295 runs and also finished as the league’s fourth-highest run-scorer. In 2023, she was UPW’s second-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets. She also won the Player of the Tournament award in WPL 2024 for her excellent all-round performance. With Alyssa Healy unavailable, Deepti now leads UP Warriorz as captain for WPL 2025.