History was expected and history was made indeed at the Women’s Premier League 2023 auction. The inaugural auction saw some of the top names in women’s cricket go under the hammer, with the five franchises bidding hard to put together a strong squad ahead of the new season of the tournament. Smriti Mandhana made history by not only becoming the first-ever player to be sold at the Women’s Premier Auction but also turning out to be the most expensive buy. Royal Challengers Bangalore went for her and fought a fierce bidding war to acquire her services. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was signed by Mumbai Indians and India’s star all-rounder Deepti Sharma was roped by UP Warriorz. Among other Indian stars were Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, both of whom were signed by Delhi Capitals. Besides Mandhana, RCB also signed Indian team mainstays Richa Ghosh and Renuka Thakur. WPL Logo Unveiled Ahead of the Women's Premier League 2023 Players Auction (Watch Video).

Among the overseas stars, RCB again made a big impact signing by roping in the Australian stalwart Ellyse Perry. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates also made it to their squad, while Delhi Capitals acquired the services of Australian captain Meg Lanning. Alyssa Healy, one of the greats of the modern-day game, was signed by UP Warriorz and so was England's Sophie Ecclestone. Gujarat Giants also made big overseas signings in Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney.Renuka Singh's Family in Himachal Pradesh Celebrates By Distributing Sweets After RCB Pick Indian Pacer for Rs 1.5 Crores (Watch Video). 

Let us take a look at the full squads of all five franchises after the WPL 2023 Auction:

Mumbai Indians

Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Yastika Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar, Isabelle Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Heather Graham, Chloe Tryon, Saika Ishaque, Dhara Gujjar, Priyanka Bala, Humairaa Kaazi, Jintimani Kalita, Sonam Yadav, Neelam Bisht

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devina, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Renuka Singh, Erin Burns, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Megan Schutt, Sahana Powar, Asha Sobhna, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad

Delhi Capitals

Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu, Jasia Akhtar, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Poonam Yadav, Minnu Mani, Laura Harris, Taniyaa Bhatia, Jess Jonassen, Aparna Mondal and Sneha Deepthi

UP Warriorz

Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath,  Parshavi Chopra, Anjali Sarvani, Shabnim Ismail, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Grace Harris, S Yashashri, Devika Vaidya, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Simran Shaikh and Laxmi Yadav Smriti Mandhana and Team India Members React After RCB Pick Opening Batter for INR 3.4 Crores at WPL 2023 Auction (Watch Video).

Gujarat Giants

Ashleigh Gardener, Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol, Sophia Dunkley, Annabelle Sutherland, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, Sabbineni Meghana, Mansi Joshi, Georgia Wareham, Dayalan Hemlatha, Monica Patel, Sushma Verma, Tanuja Kanwer, Hurley Gala, Parunika Sisodia, M Ashwani Kumari, Shabnam Shakil

With the auction now done and dusted, the action between the five franchises will move away from the hall room to the field with the Women's Premier League's first edition starting on March 4.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2023 09:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).