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The first-ever Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction threw up some major surprises, but none close to veteran Indian pacer Shikha Pandey emerging as the third costliest buy after Deepti Sharma and Amelia Kerr. UP Warriorz were locked in a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 36-year-old before securing her signing for Rs 2.40 crore.
Listed at a base price of Rs 40 lakh, Shikha was bought by the Warriorz for six times that as she reunited with her former Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning. Despite Shikha being one of the most experienced Indian pacers available in the auction pool, the move from UP Warriorz raised a few eyebrows, considering she has not played for India for quite a while.
The 36-year-old last featured in a T20I for India in February 2023 and has been out of the national setup for over two years. Shikha is the most successful Indian bowler in the WPL, having taken 30 wickets in 27 matches in the last three seasons. However, it's her economical spells that outshine her wicket-taking abilities in T20s.
Nonetheless, it was baffling for many when UP Warriorz, who had Rs 3.85 crore in their purse at the time of bidding war for Shikha, decided to splurge more than 60 per cent of that money on the pacer. Many believe Shikha's price was down to auction dynamics, and understandably so.
It is often seen that the franchises are more cautious in using their purse in the first few rounds of the auction, which helps some of the proven performers in the lower sets. In Shikha's case, the timing worked in her favour. At the time her name was announced at the auction, both UP Warriorz and RCB were desperately searching for an Indian pacer.
RCB needed an ideal replacement for Renuka Singh Thakur, having let her go earlier in the auction, while UP Warriorz only had a young Kranti Goud in their Indian pace line-up. Shikha was the most experienced and perhaps the strongest contender left at the time to lead a team's Indian pace attack. Thus, both teams went all out for her.
Both teams needed someone who could lead their Indian pace attack, and Shikha was an ideal candidate, with only Arundhati Reddy and Pooja Vastrakar left ahead. RCB and UP Warriorz were locked in an intense bidding battle before the latter eventually got the 36-year-old Indian pacer for Rs 2.40 crore, a price that left many scratching their heads.
UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar revealed the actual reason behind the franchise breaking the bank for Shikha Pandey at the WPL 2026 auction. Nayar, who has been garnering praise for building a strong squad for the Warriorz from scratch after deciding to retain only Shweta Sehrawat ahead of the auction, revealed the pacer took part in the franchise's trials, and the coaches liked what they saw from the 36-year-old.
Though she hasn't played for India for over two years, Shikha has been playing domestic cricket regularly, and the UP Warriorz think tank wanted an Indian pacer with bankable experience to lead their pace attack next season.
"She came to our trials. So she's been playing. We're happy with that. I think we assessed her quite closely there, she played three games, and she bowled her overs. I've always believed experience is something that doesn't come easy, and when you have experience in the team, it's something we value a lot," Abhishek Nayar said, responding to a query from TV9 English.
Shikha will partner with the likes of Kranti Gaud, Tara Norris and Deandra Dottin in UP Warriorz's pace attack next season. The veteran Indian pacer brings a wealth of experience to the squad and will be hoping to help the Warriorz bring an end to the wait for their maiden WPL title next season.
