The upcoming edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has already started making headlines as franchises look to retain big players first and go for the mega auction. The five city-based franchise teams are likely to get a major makeover, with the BCCI conducting the WPL mega auction ahead of the next season.
As per ESPNcricinfo report, all five teams can retain a maximum of five players from their current squads, and the deadline to announce these retentions is November 5. The mega auction is scheduled between November 25 and 29, which promises a major change in their squad.
WPL teams can retain maximum 5 players before mega auction
The Women’s Premier League has shared all the instructions with the teams in an email sent to the franchises. The WPL has set clear rules regarding how many players can be retained. Each franchise can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players and two uncapped Indian players.
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If a team chooses to retain five players, at least one of them must be an uncapped Indian. For the first time, franchises will also be allowed to use the right-to-match (RTM) option in the auction, which allows them to pick a player who was part of their 2025 squad in the mega auction.
How will retaining players affect the teams’ auction money?
The auction amount for each franchise has been fixed at Rs 15 crore. The WPL has also provided guideline values for retained players. Player 1 will be contracted for only Rs 3.5 crore, Player 2 for Rs 2.5 crore, Player 3 for Rs 1.75 crore, Player 4 for Rs 1 crore, and Player 5 for Rs 50 lakh.
If a team retains all five players, Rs 9.25 crore will be deducted from their auction purse. On retaining four players, Rs 8.75 crore will be deducted, on retaining three players, Rs 7.75 crore, on retaining two players, Rs 6 crore and on retaining only one player, Rs 3.5 crore will be deducted.
RTM Strategy for WPL Mega Auction Explained
Interestingly, the RTM option is directly linked to the number of players retained by teams. If a franchise retains five players, it loses the RTM option completely. Retaining four players gets one RTM, three players gets two RTM, two players get three RTM, and retaining only one player gives a team four RTM at the auction table.
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However, WPL franchisees may negotiate a different retention amount from the guideline slab, but any amount in excess of the suggested slab will be deducted from the auction purse. A minimum of Rs 50 lakh has been set for uncapped Indian players, but the final amount could be higher depending on the agreement between the franchise and the player.
BCCI sets WPL retention and player registration deadlines
The Women’s Premier League has also set a deadline for the pre-auction process. The retention list should be submitted by 5th November. The franchises will have to share their list of players available for the auction by November 7. The last date for player registration is November 18 and BCCI will release the final list of players for the mega auction on November 20.
