Kochi: Australia captain Sophie Molineux was the biggest buy in the opening phase of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction, when UP Warriorz acquired her for Rs 1.10 crore here on Wednesday. Gujarat Giants picked up young India wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini for her base price of Rs 40 lakh.
Sophie, who was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning squad in 2024 and missed WPL 2026, had listed herself at a base price of Rs 50 lakh. UPW opened the bidding, but RCB stayed in the contest, and the price climbed to Rs 95 lakh in under a minute.
UPW pushed it to Rs 1 crore, and RCB responded with Rs 1.05 crore. Finally, UPW sealed the deal with a bid of Rs 1.10 crore. The left-arm spin bowling all-rounder recently returned to international cricket in the T20I series against New Zealand after recovering from a hip injury.
Kamalini, released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the auction and widely tipped to have a big payday after not being in the mix for the 2027 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, went to GG with minimal fuss as no other franchise bid for her. Although her WPL record for Mumbai Indians has been modest, Kamalini, a member of the 2025 U19 World Cup-winning team, has been in the India A and Tamil Nadu teams, apart from being in the senior team.
GG also added Ireland’s seam-bowling all-rounder Orla Prendergast for Rs 30 lakh. Delhi Capitals made their first signing of the auction by securing India batter Kiran Navgire for Rs 75 lakh. Mumbai Indians opened the bidding at Rs 40 lakh and pushed the former UPW player’s price to Rs 70 lakh, before DC went to Rs 75 lakh. With only Rs 90 lakh in their purse, MI pulled out.
UPW also brought in India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana and Australia’s hard-hitting all-rounder Grace Harris for their base price of Rs 30 lakh each. Sneh, a former Gujarat Giants captain who was part of RCB as a replacement player, drew no other bids, including from her former team DC.
Grace returns to UPW after a productive season with RCB, who won the WPL title in 2026. RCB released her with Ellyse Perry set to return, and she is likely to compete for an opening slot in UPW alongside Meg Lanning or Pratika Rawal.
Several others also went unsold in the early rounds. Raghvi Bist, who has played two T20Is for India and was the first player to go under the hammer, attracted no bids at her base price of Rs 30 lakh.
Maharashtra’s big-hitting middle-order batter Tejal Hasabnis, currently part of India’s ODI squad for the series against Zimbabwe, also went unsold. So did Ayushi Soni, who has played one T20I and one WPL match for GG.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, one of her country’s most influential players, went unsold. England batter Sophia Dunkley, one of only two English players in the auction, failed to find a buyer at her base price of Rs 50 lakh.
(IANS)
