The WPL mega auction 2026 took place on Thursday in Delhi ahead of what will be the fourth edition of the WPL. This is the first mega auction since the inaugural auction of the WPL. Over 200 players went under the hammer.
Two players were bought at INR 3 crore or more, but none of them broke the benchmark of INR 3.5 crore at which RCB bought Smriti Mandhana in the first WPL auction.
It was an exciting auction as several big names were released in the mega auction pool. Many got new homes, while some were roped in by their former franchises.
WPL Mega Auction 2026: Top 3 Most Expensive Players Bought In WPL Auction
3. Shikha Pandey
Veteran Indian pacer Shikha Pandey bagged a handsome deal worth INR 2.4 auction in the WPL mega auction. She was bought by UP Warriorz. UPW were the first franchise to raise the paddle for Pandey at her base price of INR 40 lakhs.
UPW and RCB then got involved in a long battle for Pandey, with the former eventually securing the services of the experienced Indian seamer.
Shikha played the first three WPL seasons for Delhi Capitals, picking up 30 wickets, the most by an Indian bowler in the WPL’s short three-season history so far.
She has featured in 62 WT20Is for India along with 55 WODIs. Pandey is a gun new ball seamer.
2. Amelia Kerr
New Zealand’s talented all-rounder Amelia Kerr was bought by Mumbai Indians, her franchise of the previous three WPL seasons, for a price of INR 3 crore in the WPL auction.
Kerr has been a key player in Mumbai’s two WPL title wins, contributing with 40 wickets, the second-most in WPL history, along with scoring 437 runs.
In the mega auction, UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians tussled for Kerr, with MI eventually buying her to rebuild their core members.
1. Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma was the most expensive player bought in the WPL auction 2026, with UP Warriorz shelling out INR 3.2 crore for the India all-rounder after having shockingly released her earlier.
It was a massive surprise to everyone when Deepti was released by UP days after Deepti had been named the Player of the Tournament at the victorious ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. Not to forget that Deepti, a match-winner all-rounder in Indian conditions, led UPW last season after Alyssa Healy’s injury-forced absence.
In her 25-match WPL career for UPW, Deepti picked up 27 wickets, the second-most by an Indian, and scored 507 runs. The fact that she was with UPW for INR 2.6 crore until last season, while now she’s been rebought by UP for INR 3.2 crore, makes the franchise’s decision to release her even more baffling.
Deepti Sharma’s bidding time, though, didn’t last for long. Delhi Capitals placed a base price bid at INR 50 lakhs and didn’t find any challengers.
Delhi secured Deepti for a while until UPW announced that they would like to exercise the Right To Match card option on their former player. Now, Delhi, with Sourav Ganguly and Parth Jindal on the auction table, had the option to raise Deepti’s bid to whatever they wanted, and they raised it to INR 3.2 crore. With the ball now in UPW’s court, they decided to match Delhi’s bid and roped in Deepti for INR 3.2 crore.
Who was the most expensive player in the WPL auction?
India all-rounder Deepti Sharma was purchased for INR 3.2 crore by UP Warriorz, making her the most expensive pick at the WPL mega auction 2026.
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