Ahead of the deadline, franchises are set to release players who didn’t make the cut, keeping only their top performers.
Speculation is already swirling about which players will be retained. According to ESPNCricinfo, stars like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues are expected to stay with their respective teams.
In a surprising twist, Deepti Sharma, the 2025 World Cup Player of the Tournament, is reportedly being released by UP Warriorz after a disappointing WPL 2025 season. Delhi Capitals have also made headlines by deciding to release their captain, Meg Lanning, who will now enter the auction pool.
Reported retention lists by franchises:
RCB-W: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil
UP Warriorz-W: Shweta Sehrawat
MI-W: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Hayley Matthews
DC-W: Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Niki Prasad
GG-W: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney
RCB, the former WPL champions, have retained the core of their squad with Mandhana, Perry, Ghosh, and Patil at the center of their plans. Similarly, Mumbai Indians have held onto their key players as they aim for a third WPL title.
UP Warriorz, on the other hand, have made a bold move by releasing almost their entire squad, retaining only Shweta Sehrawat. After three underwhelming seasons, the franchise is looking to rebuild from scratch.
Delhi Capitals are reportedly keeping most of their core players, but the decision to release Meg Lanning—who led the team to three consecutive finals—will certainly shake things up.
WPL Retention Rules:
Franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas stars, and two uncapped Indian players. If a team chooses to retain five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian.
Like the IPL, the WPL mega auction will also feature the Right to Match (RTM) card. Each franchise has a budget of ₹15 crore, with retention costs structured as follows:
- Player 1: ₹3.5 crore
- Player 2: ₹2.5 crore
- Player 3: ₹1.75 crore
- Player 4: ₹1 crore
- Player 5: ₹50 lakh
