Why Australian all-rounder Jess Jonassen decided to pull out of WPL auction

New Delhi: Australia all-rounder Jess Jonassen has decided to pull out of the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction. The much-awaited auction is set to take place on Thursday, November 27 in New Delhi. It is being learnt that the player, who played for the Delhi Capitals for three season, has been recovering from shoulder injury.

Her exit, which came at the eleventh hour, was disclosed by the franchise at the pre-auction briefing held on Wednesday. The WPL also told the franchises that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and pace bowler VJ Joshitha are all injured though their names are part of the auction pool. These three players can't be part of the mandatory 15-person squad.

If any franchise shows some interest in these players they will not be allowed a replacement. While Rawal has been listed at her base price of Rs 50 lakh, Bhatia has been listed at Rs 30 lakh while Joshitha's price is set at Rs 10 lakh. It has also been advised to the franchises by the WPL committee that Indian fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar is unfit but will be fully part of the auction.

Another Indian player Kashvee Gautam has been deemed fit. Both the players are listed at a price of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 30 lakh respectively. In the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL auction 2026, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt will be in the headlines as the big players while among the Indian contenders, all-rounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh will be the highlight in the marquee opening set.