The Women’s Premier League has published its first retention list ahead of the 2026 auction and, as expected, three of the game’s headline names – Smriti Mandhana, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ashleigh Gardner – will stay put on the maximum salary of INR 3.5 crore.
Mumbai Indians went straight in by holding on to Sciver-Brunt, rather than the more obvious choice of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Royal Challengers Bengaluru did the predictable thing with Mandhana, while Gujarat Giants secured Gardner’s signature without much fuss. None of that is exactly earth-shattering but it does set the tone.
A little lower down the scale, RCB pushed INR 2.75 crore towards wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, the only player in that second-tier price band. Harmanpreet and Giants opener Beth Mooney came in at INR 2.5 crore, still healthy numbers in a market that has tightened a touch since last year.
The real eyebrow-raiser involves UP Warriorz. They have let Deepti Sharma walk despite her “Player of the Tournament” award at the recent ODI World Cup. Only Shweta Sehrawat survives from that squad. Amelia Kerr, Alyssa Healy and even Delhi Capitals’ World Cup-winning skipper Meg Lanning also find themselves back in the auction pool. It feels a little brutal, yet the maths is unforgiving.
Retention rules remain simple enough: no more than three capped Indians, two overseas players and two uncapped Indians. If you want to keep five, at least one must be uncapped. This season, for the first time, teams will carry a right-to-match (RTM) card at the auction – essentially a chance to buy back a released player by matching the final bid. The purse for each franchise is set at INR 15 crore, and the main auction is scheduled for 27 November in Delhi.
Below is a snapshot of where the five franchises now stand:
Mumbai Indians
Retained: Nat Sciver-Brunt (3.5 cr), Harmanpreet Kaur (2.5 cr), Hayley Matthews (1.75 cr), Amanjot Kaur (1 cr), G Kamalini (50 lakh)
Spend: 9.25 cr | Purse left: 5.75 cr | RTM: none
Released: Amelia Kerr, Nadine de Klerk, Yastika Bhatia, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Retained: Smriti Mandhana (3.5 cr), Richa Ghosh (2.75 cr), Ellyse Perry (2 cr), Shreyanka Patil (60 lakh)
Spend: 8.85 cr | Purse left: 6.15 cr | RTM: one
Released: Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Delhi Capitals
Retained: Jemimah Rodrigues (2.2 cr), Shafali Verma (2.2 cr), Annabel Sutherland (2.2 cr), Marizanne Kapp (2.2 cr), Niki Prasad (50 lakh)
Spend: 9.3 cr | Purse left: 5.7 cr | RTM: none
Released: Meg Lanning, N Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy
Gareth Batty, the Capitals head coach, admitted the decision to let Lanning go was tough. “It’s been really tough,” he told JioStar. “So there’s been some really deep discussions, lots of planning, lots of challenging conversations around our retentions and releases. And yeah, there were some tough calls that had to be made. But I think we’re delighted with the five that we have got over the line in the end.”
On who might now lead the side he added, “Jemimah’s got a great captaincy record (in domestic cricket). Obviously, Annabelle…” – the thought was left hanging, though Rodriguez now looks the front-runner.
Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz are expected to confirm their detailed lists later today. Early indications suggest both have held back significant funds – understandable given the depth of talent returning to the auction. With RTM cards in play, Gardner, Deepti and Kerr could yet find themselves back in familiar colours, depending on how aggressive their former employers wish to be.
From a broader view, the top-end salaries remain steady while the middle tier is where most bargaining will occur. A INR 15 crore purse sounds generous, but once two marquee names are signed off, accountants start feeling the squeeze.
In short, headline stars stay put, several high-profile figures hit the open market, and every franchise must now juggle ambition with arithmetic. The auction room in Delhi promises to be lively – not wild, but certainly lively – and that is usually enough.
