Ahead of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League, the five franchises have started the auction of the players. Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz placed their bids and selected the players for their teams. The auction was one of a kind with many players who have not represented the country at the international level in any format fetching the highest amount.
Let’s take a look at five of the highest-bid players at the Women’s Premier League 2024.
1. Kashvee Gautam – Gujarat Giants – ₹2 crore
Kashvee Gupta scripted history by becoming the most expensive uncapped player. She fetched ₹2 crores from Gujarat Titans. The 20-year-old all-rounder cricketer shot to fame in 2020 when she took 10 wickets at an Under-19 competition where she was representing Chandigarh against Arunachal Pradesh. Last year, she wasn’t a part of any team and she worked on increasing her pace. In the Women’s T20 trophy this year, she claimed 12 wickets in seven matches.
2. Annabel Sutherland – Delhi Capitals – ₹2 crore
This Australian all-rounder fetched ₹2 crores from Delhi Capitals. She has scored a total of 705 runs in the Australian Women’s Big Bash. In the same league, she has also taken 38 wickets over 53 matches. She holds the record for the most runs in an innings and is the 10th youngest player to score a hundred. Last year, she was bought by the Gujarat Giants for ₹70 lakhs.
3. Vrinda Dinesh – UP Warriorz – ₹1. 30 crore
Another uncapped Indian batter who has created history is the 22-year-old Vrinda Dinesh. She fetched ₹1.30 crores this year from UP Warriorz. Her base price was ₹10 lakhs. Speaking to Scroll, she recalled, “I sat out probably for 22 matches, and when I got back in 2020, I scored two back-to-back centuries in the Senior Women’s One-Day trophy. That was the turning point in my life. In those two years that I sat out, I worked extremely hard. I wanted to make sure I played the next match, the next season.” She has been with Karnataka since the 2018-19 season in the women’s Under-23 T20 trophy. She started playing cricket professionally when she was 13.
4. Shabnim Ismail – Mumbai Indians – ₹1.20 crore
This South African fast bowler is South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in both the ODI and Twenty20 International formats. Throughout her career, she has maintained this position. She fetched ₹1.20 crores from Mumbai Indians. She also holds the record for taking the most number of wickets at a single venue in the history of WODIs. She took a total of 24 wickets in 17 matches at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.
5. Phoebe Litchfield (AUS) – Gujarat Giants – ₹1 crore
This Australia batter fetched ₹1 crore this year from Gujarat Giants. She made her debut for Sydney Thunder at the Women’s Big Bash League when she was just 16. In 2019 when she was playing her second match, Phoebe became the youngest player to score half a century in the Australian Cricket League. She made 106 runs against Ireland and that made it her maiden white-ball century. She has been consistently performing well and is seen as a rising star in Australia.
Apart from them, there are multiple other cricketers from different nations who went unsold.
