A week ago, IT professionals Pinky and Rakesh Yadav went through a tense evening as they waited for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. At home, Pinky was nervous, while Rakesh was on his way back from the office, just 18 kilometres away. Their 16-year-old daughter, Deeya, was in Kerala with Haryana’s U23 squad for T20 matches, waiting for her name to be called in the auction.

The tension rose when auctioneer Mallika Sagar announced Deeya’s name. The room went silent for 10–15 seconds before Delhi Capitals, who had been tracking the young talent, raised their paddle and bought her at the base price of Rs 10 lakh.

Rakesh recalled the moment and said, “When DC finally raised the paddle, I felt huge relief. It was our first auction experience, so it was both amazing and stressful.” Pinky felt mostly fear. She had seen several players go unsold before Deeya’s turn came. “I was scared about what would happen when her name came up. But when DC bid, I was shocked and relieved. We still can’t believe it happened so fast,” she told IANS.

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Life After the WPL Auction

Since Deeya became the youngest player to be signed in a WPL auction, life has changed for the Yadav family. “We are a normal middle-class family. The attention Deeya is getting, and the many phone calls, feel overwhelming," her father Rakesh said.

At Delhi Capitals, Deeya will now play alongside her idol, India opener Shafali Verma. They had built a good connection in the Haryana setup, and will now continue together in DC. Shafali has been Deeya’s favourite player for years, along with MS Dhoni.

Although Deeya is left-handed in daily life, she bats right-handed. Watching Shafali’s fearless style shaped her own game. Her standout knock of 213* off 125 balls against Tripura in the 2023 Under-15 Women’s One-Day Cup brought her into DC’s radar.

Deeya also finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 298 runs at an average of 59.5. She continued her good form in the inter-zonal T20 competition, finishing with 151 runs at a strike rate of 149.5.

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Training, Challenges, and Family Support

DC’s CricViz analysts praised Deeya’s fearless intent, range of shots, and calm approach. They felt she would be an ideal backup for DC’s Indian batters and that playing with Shafali would help her grow further.

Rakesh, a former Delhi Under-19 cricketer, shared how Deeya first showed interest in cricket when the family lived in Pune in 2015–16. Even after moving to Gurugram during the pandemic, Deeya’s passion did not fade. Rakesh often threw balls to her in a nearby ground to keep her practice going.

The sport’s financial demands were challenging, but the family managed. Deeya’s mother, Pinky, balanced her job, home responsibilities, and their younger daughter’s schooling, while still supporting Deeya’s training. Deeya now trains at Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club with support from the Haryana Cricket Association.

Coach Sanjay Negi worked on strengthening her basics in 2023 and praised her strong mindset. Even during tough phases, she stayed focused and kept improving.

Deeya also faced fitness issues and a ligament injury. Sports nutritionist Rashmi Cherian helped improve her diet and recovery. Her fitness levels rose, and her performance improved. Her diet is now managed carefully depending on her training schedule.

Rakesh said the family stayed committed even during uncertain times, while Rashmi praised their dedication during Deeya’s injury phase.

As Deeya prepares for the 2026 WPL season and aims for the 2027 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, her parents only hope she enjoys the game. Rakesh said, “I want her to enjoy her journey. If she keeps learning and enjoying, she will do well—and we hope she will play for India one day.”

UP Warriorz has all the potential to be the dark horse of the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL 2026). With Abhishek Nayar as their head coach, cricket fans are expecting some exciting brand of cricket from the team.

They already showed their well-planned movements during the auction. UP Warriorz went into the auction room with only one retained player, which was Shweta Sehrawat. From there, they created a solid lineup, which can help the team to earn their maiden WPL trophy. UP Warriorz will begin its WPL 2026 campaign against Gujarat Giants at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 10. On January 12, in the next league match, they will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

UP Warriorz has shown a lot of faith in Deepti Sharma, as they bought her using the RTM card for a record amount of INR 3.20 crore. From the first set of players in the auction, they cashed in Rs 1.90 lakh for legendary Australian batter and former captain Meg Lanning. This move instantly bolstered their batting strength and leadership qualities. Another surprise of the auction was Shikha Pandey. Out of nowhere, this underrated Indian all-rounder experienced a great payday. UP Warriorz roped in for a whopping amount of Rs 2.40 crore.

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UP Warriorz Full Schedule

UP Warriorz WPL 2026 Full Squad after WPL 2026 Auction: 

Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Asha Sobhana, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Suman Meena, G Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, Tara Norris, and Chloe Tryon. 

Retained Players: Shweta Sehrawat. 

The Women's team of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB-W) is all set to start their Women's Premier League 2026 (WPL 2026) campaign on January 9 through a match against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. 

Ahead of the fresh season of WPL, RCB-W has set up their new-look squad strongly on paper with only four retained players.  Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil are the only four players from the previous season who will be seen playing for the franchise in the upcoming season as well. Under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana, the team will try to conquer the league again. This time, the franchise officials have bolstered their squad with multiple batters and all-rounders. 

The entire tournament will unfold across two venues: Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The first eleven matches of the contest are scheduled to be arranged at the iconic D.Y. Patil Stadium, where the India Women's team recently won their maiden World Cup title. For the next eleven matches, focus will be shifted on Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium. 

Read More: Gujarat Giants Women (GG-W) WPL 2026 full schedule, venues, timings announced

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Full Schedule

RCB-W full squad for WPL 2026:

Players Retained: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil.

New Players: Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Georgia Voll, Linsey Smith, Dayalan Hemalatha, Prema Rawat, Gautami Nayak, and Prathyoosha Kumar.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which begins on January 09 at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Gujarat’s opening game of the competition will be on the following day against the UP Warriorz, before they face the Delhi Capitals 24 hours later.

Gujarat Giants’ Navi Mumbai leg will be quite sandwiched between each other, just like the Mumbai Indians, where they will feature in five clashes in a gap of just seven days. They have two successive fixtures against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in back-to-back days.

See Also: Delhi Capitals Women (DC-W) WPL 2026 full schedule, venues, timings announced

Gujarat will then fly to Vadodara for the last three games of the season. They will have a decent break between games as they face the UP Warriorz on January 22 and take another eight days for the upcoming two games.

GG-W full schedule, timings, and venues for WPL 2026

Among all the major buys for the WPL 2026, the Giants pocketed the services of the New Zealand all-rounder, Sophie Devine, for a price of INR 2 crore from the base price of INR 50 lakh. She will bring incredible balance to the side with her all-around performance.

Full Squad- Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine (INR 2.00 crore), Renuka Singh Thakur (INR 0.60 crore), Bharti Fulmali (INR 0.70 crore-RTM), Titas Sadhu (INR 0.30 crore), Kashvee Gautam (INR 0.65 crore-RTM), Kanika Ahuja (INR 0.30 crore), Tanuja Kanwer (INR 0.45 crore), Georgia Wareham (INR 1.00 crore), Anushka Sharma (INR 0.45 crore), Happy Kumari (INR 0.10 crore), Kim Garth (INR 0.50 crore), Yastika Bhatia (INR 0.50 crore), Shivani Singh (INR 0.10 crore), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (INR 0.50 crore), Rajeshwari Gaykwad (INR 0.40 crore), Ayushi Soni (INR 0.30 crore).

Gujarat Giants Women (GG-W) full schedule of WPL 2026

The Mumbai Indians Women (MI-W), the defending champions of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) ahead of the 2026 season, will kickstart the fourth edition on January 09 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W) at the iconic Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. This will only increase the craze of the event.

Mumbai Indians will have near successive games in the Navi Mumbai leg, where they will feature in five clashes in a gap of just a week. On January 15 and 17, they will be up against the UP Warriorz at the same venue. One of those games will be the afternoon games, while the others will be played in the evening.

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Once the two-time champions reach the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, they will have a sufficient break. After their clash against the Capitals on January 20, they will take on the Bengaluru side in six days before taking four more days against the Gujarat Giants.

MI-W full schedule, timings, and venue for WPL 2026

Mumbai retained their core group of players, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver Brunt, and veteran all-rounder Hayley Matthews. Their first buy of the mega auction was the iconic New Zealand spin all-rounder, Amelia Kerr, for a price of INR 3 crore from the base price of INR 50 lakh.

Squad- Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr (INR 3.00 crore), Shabnim Ismail (INR 0.60 crore), Sanskriti Gupta (INR 0.20 crore), Sajana Sajeevan (INR 0.75 crore), Rahila Firdous (INR 0.10 crore), Nicola Carey (INR 0.30 crore), Poonam Khemnar (INR 0.10 crore), Triveni Vasistha (INR 0.20 crore), Nalla Reddy (INR 0.10 crore), Saika Ishaque (INR 0.30 crore), Milly Illingworth (INR 0.10 crore). 

Mumbai Indians Women (MI-W) full schedule of WPL 2026-

The three-time runners-up of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Delhi Capitals Women (DC-W), will begin their campaign against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians Women (MI-W), at the iconic DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on January 10 before they face Gujarat Giants on the following day. Their eight group-stage clashes have been divided between Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.

For the very first time, the WPL 2026 final will break from the weekend tradition, with the showdown being scheduled on February 05. The fourth season of the competition will begin on January 09 and will feature two double-headers on Saturday. Delhi hasn't yet announced their squad, but it's likely to be Jemimah Rodrigues. 

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The DY Patil Sports Academy of Navi Mumbai, fresh from hosting the Women’s World Cup 2025 against South Africa in the first week of November, will stage the opening 11 games before the second half gets shifted for the final 11 games to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.

DC-W full schedule, timings, and venues of WPL 2026 announced

Among some of the major buys of the WPL 2026, three of them belong to the Delhi Capitals. They bought West Indies’ Chinelle Henry for a price of INR 1.30 crore from the base price of INR 30 lakh. They also signed Shree Charani for the same price while bagging Laura Wolvaardt for a price of INR 1.10 crore.

Full Squad- Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt (INR 1.10 crore), Chinelle Henry (INR 1.30 crore), Shree Charani (INR 1.30 crore), Sneh Rana (INR 0.50 crore), Lizelle Lee (INR 0.30 crore), Deeya Yadav (INR 0.10 crore), Taniya Bhatia (INR 0.30 crore), Mamatha Madiwala (INR 0.10 crore), Nandini Sharma (INR 0.20 crore), Lucy Hamilton (INR 0.10 crore), Minnu Mani (INR 0.40 crore).

DC-W full schedule for WPL 2026-

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 is going to kick off on January 9, and the first match will feature the current titleholders Mumbai Indians against the previous winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The tournament that lasts for 28 days will end on February 5, with the final taking place on a weekday for the first time at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.

This year’s edition is full of firsts including a January–February window instead of the traditional February–March slot, which the league takes to avoid clashes with major international cricket events. The two-venue format is back, with Navi Mumbai having the first 11 matches including two Saturday double-headers, after which the final 11 league games and the playoffs will be at Vadodara.

Mumbai Indians are the most successful team by far in the league's short history, having won two titles in three seasons, and are entering WPL 2026 as the defending champions. RCB are the only other winners, while Delhi Capitals can lay claim to the unique (and unwanted) record of being also-rans in all three seasons. Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz are still whispering their dreams aloud for a maiden finals appearance.

After the final on February 5, India's women cricketers will directly head out for a full-fledged tour of Australia starting on February 15.

WPL 2026 Complete Schedule (Jan 9 – Feb 5)

WPL 2026 Squads

Mumbai Indians Women

Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Gunalan Kamalini, Saika Ishaque, Nicola Carey, Triveni Vasistha, Sanskriti Gupta, Nalla Reddy, Milly Illingworth, Poonam Khemnar, Rahila Firdous

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women

Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Grace Harris, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Dayalan Hemalatha, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Gautami Naik, Kumar Prathyoosha

Delhi Capitals Women

Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Shree Charani, Chinelle Henry, Laura Wolvaardt, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia, Lizelle Lee, Nandani Sharma, Deeya Yadav, Lucy Hamilton, Madiwala Mamatha

Gujarat Giants Women

Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Renuka Singh, Yastika Bhatia, Kim Garth, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Anushka Sharma, Tanuja Kanwar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Kanika Ahuja, Titas Sadhu, Ayushi Soni, Happy Kumari, Shivani Singh

UP Warriorz Women

Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Asha Sobhana, Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, Kiran Navgire, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shweta Sehrawat, Harleen Deol, Chloe Tryon, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Gongadi Trisha, Suman L Meena, Tara Norris

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction was full of action from start to finish, with some of the biggest names in women’s cricket going under the hammer. While some franchises added several big-ticket players in a major overhaul, others made only small changes to their squads to perform better next season.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) continue to have a strong roster as they aim for a third WPL title next year. Meanwhile, teams like the UP Warriors and Gujarat Giants (GG) strengthened their squads with key additions in the auction. Surprisingly, a few well-known overseas and Indian players did not get any buyers and went unsold.

Here are the five marquee players who shockingly went unsold at the 2026 WPL auction.

Also Read -BCCI Unhappy With Gambhir’s Comments in Press Conference, Could Be Sacked If T20 WC 2026 Fails: Report

1. Alyssa Healy

Australian captain Alyssa Healy was the biggest name that went unsold at the WPL 2026 auction. The 35-year-old played for the UP Warriors in the first two WPL seasons but missed the 2025 season due to an injury.

The franchise released Healy ahead of the auction after missing the playoffs in the last two editions.

Healy has impressive WPL stats, with an average of nearly 27 and a strike rate of over 130 in 17 matches. She can also keep wickets and lead the team, making her absence from any squad surprising.

Although her form in the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) is not great, she performed brilliantly in the 50-over World Cup in India. She scored 299 runs in five matches at an average of almost 75 and a strike rate of 125.10, finishing as the sixth-highest run-scorer.

2. Alana King

Another Australian star, Alana King, went unsold at the WPL 2026 auction despite excellent recent white-ball form. The 20-year-old took 13 wickets in seven matches during the 2025 ODI World Cup, finishing among the top five wicket-takers with an average of 17.38 and an economy of 4.03.

King also contributes with the bat, including a match-winning 51* against Pakistan in the tournament. She played only one game for the UP Warriorz last season.

With her ability to bat and bowl, it is surprising that franchises showed no interest in King at the auction.

3. Sabbhineni Meghana

Indian opener Sabbhineni Meghana was the most surprising unsold Indian player at the WPL 2026 auction. After a poor first season with Gujarat Giants in 2023, the 29-year-old impressed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the last two editions.

Meghana averaged 33.60 at a strike rate of almost 113 in seven matches during RCB’s title run in 2024. She played only two games in 2025 but scored at an incredible strike rate of 212.

With her best years ahead, Meghana’s exclusion from all squads is surprising.

4. Alice Capsey

All-rounders are highly valued in T20 cricket, and England’s Alice Capsey has been one of the best in the WPL. The 21-year-old batting all-rounder played 18 WPL matches, all for Delhi Capitals (DC).

Although her recent performances have dipped, Capsey has a batting average of 27 with a strike rate of almost 134, and she has taken 11 wickets at an average of 20.45. She helped DC finish at the top of the points table in all three WPL seasons.

Surprisingly, Capsey did not attract any bids in the 2026 auction.

5. Tazmin Brits

South African veteran Tazmin Brits also went unsold at the 2026 WPL auction. The 34-year-old has a strong T20I record, scoring over 1,700 runs in 68 matches at an average of 32.43 and a strike rate of almost 107.

Brits can also keep wickets, making her a valuable player. She has been in excellent T20I form this year, averaging 66 with a strike rate over 122. Her omission at the auction was a major surprise.

By the end of November 28, a statement went viral around the social media platforms, which claimed that Anushka Sharma goes to GG. Actually, it happened during the recently concluded mega auction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, which took place in Delhi with all five franchises- Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants- building their strong squad. 

During the auction, one cricketer’s name evoked curiosity on social media, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. Unlike the famous Bollywood namesake, Anushka Sharma is an upcoming cricketer from Madhya Pradesh, who is known for her hard-hitting abilities. Apart from being a dependable batter, she also bowls off-spin.

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Anushka started from a base price of INR 10 lakh, as the Gujarat Giants eventually picked up the player for a price of INR 45 lakh, overcoming the competition from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who took the bid till INR 40 lakh. The 22-year-old is one of the rare batters on display in India’s domestic circuit.

Virat Kohli fans react to Anushka Sharma going to GG on social media

Anushka has been a strong performer with a List A average of 63. In the domestic T20s, her game has improved. During the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 trophy, she represented the Central Zone and had a fine season for the Madhya Pradesh side.

I know its wordplay, but it doesn’t feel right.
Its disrespectful to both Anushka Sharma and Virat.
Targeting someone’s family as a soft target is wrong. Anushka has already faced enough

if Virat performs, it’s because he is the king, and if he doesnt, people blame Anushka,…

— Aryan Singh (@Call_mearyan) November 27, 2025

This is kinda problamatic, doing it in jest isn’t justified.

While writing the tweet you are aware what you were doing.

Other players have gotten tweets like this
“ player Name will play for Gujarat”

Or something similar, only for Anushka Sharma they’ve used this language.

— Hrishikesh Nikam (@hrishikesshhhh) November 27, 2025

On behalf of all GG fans, we don't support this nonsense.
I understand there's some rivalry between GG & Kohli we would never stoop down to this level. Let's keep the rivalry respectful.

— Moin (@MoInsiders) November 27, 2025

Anushka Sharma - virat kohli
GG- gautam gambhir
45-Rohit😀😀😀

— chirag katakiya (@chiragkatakiya1) November 27, 2025

Pure click bait!
Anushka Sharma (wife of Virat Kohli) goes to GG (Gautam Gambhir) for INR 45 lakh

How low you guys have dropped for some impressions

— baitman (@spartacus_42069) November 27, 2025

Espncricinfo admin have some shame whoever you are this is beyond even thinking , if you expect respect for girls in your family then start by yourself . This could have been presented better

— Rayiie (@rayviratcric) November 28, 2025

For all who don't know..

Anushka Sharma is the uncapped Indian all-rounder picked by Gujarat Giants(GG) for ₹45 lakh in the WPL 2026 auction.
Though the name is having a fun coincidence with actress @AnushkaSharma wife of @imVkohli

— Sourabh (@BeingLegitMan) November 27, 2025

admin woke up and chose violence

— Ganeshan (@ganeshan_iyer) November 27, 2025

The full squad of UP Warriorz looks pretty solid on paper after the WPL 2026 auction, which was held on November 27. They caught everyone's attention instantly when they used their RTM for Indian star all-rounder Deepti Sharma for a record price of Rs 3.20 crore. The Delhi Capitals franchise was also behind Sharma and set the price bar for her at Rs. 3.20 crore, which was matched by UP Warriorz. After Smriti Mandhana, Deepti became the joint most expensive player in the history of the Women's Premier League.

From the first set of players in the auction, they cashed in Rs 1.90 lakh for legendary Australian batter and former captain Meg Lanning. This move instantly bolstered their batting strength and leadership qualities. Abhishek Nayar, head coach of the franchise, was there in the center of their table, discussing their moves.

Another surprise of the auction was Shikha Pandey. Out of nowhere, this underrated Indian all-rounder experienced a great payday. UP Warriorz roped in for a whopping amount of Rs 2.40 crore.

It is necessary to remember that the franchise was going into the auction ceremony with Rs 14.50 crore, as they retained only one player from their previous squad—Shweta Sehrawat. The 21-year-old right-handed batter from Delhi, who has played 23 WPL matches for UPW in the past, was retained by the franchise for Rs 50 lakh.

Read More: GG squad after WPL 2026 auction: Here’s complete updated list

UP Warriorz WPL 2026 Full Squad after WPL 2026 Auction: 

Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Asha Sobhana, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Suman Meena, G Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, Tara Norris, and Chloe Tryon. 

Retained Players: Shweta Sehrawat.