The five franchises of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Giants (GG), and UP Warriorz (UPW) – have submitted their retention lists ahead of the 2027 mini-auction.
With team purses set to receive strategic boosts, franchises have taken bold steps, parting ways with multiple seasoned campaigners and overseas superstars to balance squad dynamics and clear tactical slots.
Team-By-Team Breakdown Of Released And Retained Players:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Reigning contenders RCB have trimmed fringe options and key international all-rounders to create room in their middle-order budget. The five WPL franchises will assemble at the Grand Hyatt in Kochi on October 28 for the player auction to complete their respective squads, with 18 being the maximum number of players they can have. The fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2027) will take place from January 14 to February 7. Players released: Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, D Hemalatha, Gautami Nayak Players retained: Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Prathyoosha Kumar, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana Slots available: 5 (two overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.15 crore Delhi Capitals (DC) Delhi Capitals opted for a sizable shake-up in their batting and spin departments, releasing experienced international stars alongside domestic wicketkeeping depth. Players released: Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia, Pragati Singh, Eddla Srujana Players retained: Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Laura Wolvaardt, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Deeya Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mamatha Madiwala, Minnu Mani, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Niki Prasad, Shafali Verma Slots available: 5 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.10 crore Mumbai Indians (MI) Two-time champions Mumbai Indians have primarily restructured their domestic talent pool and bowling backups to free up purse funds. Released players: Milly Illingworth, G Kamalini, Kranthi Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha Retained players: Melie Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Vaishnavi Sharma Slots available: 7 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1 crore Gujarat Giants (GG) The Gujarat Giants continue their rebuilding phase, letting go of key pace power and overseas top-order firepower ahead of the bidding table. Players released: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Ayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Shivani Singh Players retained: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Yastika Bhatia Slots available: 3 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.25 crore UP Warriorz (UPW) UP Warriorz initiated the heaviest overhaul, clearing prominent domestic batters as well as dynamic international power-hitters. Players released: Amy Jones, Charli Knott, Chloe Tryon, Deandra Dottin, Asha Sobhana, G Trisha, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Suman Meena Players retained: Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Tara Norris, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh Slots available: 7 (two overseas) Purse remaining: INR 3.65 crore As the biggest T20 league in women’s cricket, the WPL has established itself as a significant platform for the growth of the sport, bringing together leading players from India and around the world while creating opportunities for emerging talent to perform at the highest level.
