The third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to take place in 2025, promising exciting cricket action as the tournament continues to grow in popularity and impact. Building on the success of the first two editions, the league is expected to feature top international and domestic players, providing a platform for showcasing women’s cricket at the highest level.
Bengaluru, the home of the defending champions, is set to host the 2025 Women’s Premier League mini-auction on Sunday, December 15. The event is expected to attract significant attention as franchises strategize to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season.
The 2025 mini-auction will play a pivotal role in shaping team dynamics and adding excitement to the build-up for the league. Fans and cricket enthusiasts can look forward to intense bidding wars and surprises as teams finalize their line-ups for the next edition of the WPL.
As per the reports, each and every franchise will have a total purse value of INR 15 crore, which was INR 13.5 crore till the last season. The increase in total budget will attract intense bidding wars and surprises during the auction.
Top international stars like England captain Heather Knight, New Zealand pacer Lea Tahuhu, and West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin will be up for grabs at the mini-auction. Notable Indian players, including Sneh Rana, Poonam Yadav, and Veda Krishnamurthy, will also be hoping for bids.
The third edition of the five-team tournament is scheduled to take place over a three-week period in February-March 2025. From 2026 onward, the tournament will shift to a January-February window, aligning with the new Women’s Future Tours Programme for the 2025-29 cycle.
Defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have released five players from their title-winning squad of 2023. They have left with a total purse value of INR 3.25 crore. Apart from this, RCB traded Danni Wyatt-Hodge, the English all-rounder from UP Warriorz, in an all-cash deal.
Meg Lanning led Delhi Capitals, who have been runners-up in both editions of the tournament, have the smallest purse value of INR 2.5 crore. They have released a total of four players from their settled squad.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who also leads the Mumbai Indians, has released a total of four players and has a purse value of INR 2.65 crore. They are the winners of the inaugural edition of the Women Premier League in 2023.
The UP Warriorz, who were looking decent before the start of the season, didn’t live up to the expectations of the fans. The franchise has a total purse value of INR 3.9 crore and released four players from their last season’s squad.
The Gujarat Giants, who finished bottom of the table, are looking for a total overhaul by releasing seven players from their previous squad. They are expected to utilize a purse value of INR 4.4 crore and build a decent suqad for the upcoming edition.
