WPL 2026 auction: Deepti Sharma becomes 2nd-most expensive Indian, only behind Smriti Mandhana after bagging multi-million deal
Courtesy of the whopping Rs 3.2 crore deal, Deepti Sharma became the second-most expensive Indian player in WPL auction history.
New Delhi: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma bagged a multi-million dollar deal at the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega-auction to become the second most expensive Indian cricketer in the history of the league and joint-second most expensive player overall.
Deepti, part of the marquee list with a base price of Rs 50 lakh, was bought by UP Warriorz, who used their (Right to Match) RTM option to retain her services for Rs 3.2 cr.
The Warriorz matched Delhi Capitals' increased bid for the star all-rounder to bring her back home for a fourth successive season with the franchise.
Deepti, who was the third player to be called up in the auction, returns to the team based in her home state of UP.
Deepti only behind Smriti Mandhana in most expensive list
Courtesy of the whopping Rs 3.2 crore deal, Deepti became the second-most expensive Indian player in WPL auction history.
The highest-ever bid in WPL was made for star India opener Smriti Mandhana, who was sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 3.4 crore at the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) auction in February 2023.
Mandhana was the first player to be auctioned and became the most expensive buy at the auction, a record that still stands firmly.
She was retained by RCB for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season, which will kick off on January 9. Her retention price of Rs 3.5 crore was confirmed by RCB, who also retained the likes of Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, and Shreyanka Patil.
Alyssa Healy unsold, Devine and Kerr bag big bucks
Alyssa Healy was the first player to come up in the ongoing mega-auction in New Delhi, but to everyone's surprise, the Australian was unsold.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Giants beat the Capitals in a massive bidding war for New Zealand veteran Sophie Devine, to bag her services for Rs 2 cr. Another Kiwi player bagged big bucks as leg-spinning all-rounder Amelia Kerr was sold to the Mumbai Indians for Rs 3 Cr. UPW and MI were involved in an intense bidding war for the 25-year-old superstar, who was released by MI ahead of the auction. She was part of the MI squads that won the WPL titles in 2023 and 2025.
As many as 277 players - including 194 Indians and 83 overseas stars - will be part of the bidding process at the WPL 2025 mega auction.