WPL 2027 auction: Sophie Molineux costliest at Rs 1.10 crore

Australia captain Sophie Molineux was the most expensive buy at the WPL 2027 auction in Kochi, going to UP Warriorz for Rs 1.10 crore after a bidding contest with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Bidding closed with 25 of the 27 open places filled. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals each left one spot unfilled.

UP Warriorz make the biggest move

UP Warriorz went into the auction with eight vacancies and a purse of Rs 3.75 crore, the largest among the five franchises. They used it to land Molineux, the headline signing of the day.

Spend and numbers

The official WPL auction page puts the total spend at Rs 73.1 crore, with 25 players sold. Seven of them are overseas players and 14 are uncapped.

Wisden reports that 150 players went under the hammer in Kochi. Before the auction, ANI had put the pool at 146 players competing for the 27 slots.

Notable picks and a surprise

Gujarat Giants signed Orla Prendergast for Rs 30 lakh, making her the first Irish player picked in a WPL auction.

Uma Chetry, a member of India’s ODI World Cup-winning squad, went unsold at her base price of Rs 30 lakh.

What’s next

With squads now filled, attention turns to the fifth WPL season, which ANI says is set to run from 14 January to 7 February.