The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction is expected to be a fascinating event on Saturday in Mumbai.
This Saturday in Mumbai, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction is expected to be a fascinating event as the five participating teams are ready to engage in a bidding war for the players they require to challenge for the championship. On December 9, 165 players—104 Indians and 61 foreigners—will be auctioned off, and cricket fans everywhere will be watching to see which players go with which team. Even while some of the biggest names in the auction, like Deandra Dottin and Kim Garth, are predicted to start fierce bidding wars, a few unknown bidders have the potential to shock the whole field and win significant contracts.
Mannat Kashyap (India)
At the next auction, Mannat Kashyap, who is only 19 years old, is expected to get a lot of interest for a minimum base price of Rs 10 lakh. The Delhi girl has already received her first call-up to the senior side, this time for the Indian squad’s current T20 series against England. She was a member of the Indian squad that won the Under-19 Women’s World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
Old school left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap was India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the junior World Cup, taking nine wickets in six games for the country in South Africa behind Parshavi Chopra. She will fetch a premium because she is also skilled with the bat.
Devika Vaidya (India)
Devika Vaidya, an accomplished Indian international, will be a major attraction at the next auction according to her background. The left-arm all-rounder can hit with the bat as well as spin the ball deftly. She participated in a heated bidding battle at the first-ever WPL auction earlier this year, and UP Warriorz ultimately acquired her services for a substantial Rs 1.4 crore. But following a lackluster 2023 season, the team let her go before the WPL 2024 auction.
Vaidya competed for India in the Asian Games 2023, where they took home the gold medal in Hangzhou. Devika Vaidya is a cricket player from Maharashtra, and even if her base price of Rs 30 lakh would not get her the premium she got the previous time, it can still be worthwhile to take a chance on her.
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Surprisingly, the seasoned skipper of Sri Lanka, who has been a reliable performer for her country’s squad for more than ten years, did not sell at the most recent auction. But given her present form, it’s anticipated that the Lankan opener will attract a lot more attention at the next auction.
The 33-year-old has 470 runs in 16 Twenty20 Internationals this year and has 552 runs in 14 innings in the Women’s Big Bash League 2023–24. When needed, she can also roll her arms in support of her squad. She may be an excellent acquisition for any team searching for a seasoned player and a leader on the field, given her base price of merely Rs 30 lakh.
Vrinda Dinesh (India)
Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh can prove to be a dark horse in the WPL 2024 auctions. The 22-year-old Meg Lanning fan has the ability to light up any match with her power hitting and has been a consistent performer for her state team for years.
She recently came into the spotlight after being a surprise inclusion in India’s under-23 squad for the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Cup 2023 in Hong Kong. Vrinda’s performances during the team’s warm-up matches earned her a spot in the team as a last-minute call up in place of injured pacer S Yashasri.
Vrinda was India’s top scorer with 36 off 29 and was included in the starting XI for the match against Bangladesh. In a slow pitch, her strike helped India score 127, which was 31 more than Bangladesh could muster in the chase.
