WPL Auction: From Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu to India’s Mannat Kashyap, players to watch out for in the WPL Auction | Cricket News
More than 160 players have regered for the WPL auction that will take place in Mumbai on Saturday, with 30 slots to be filled across the five franchises.
Overseas picks
With only 9 slots available, the need for overseas reinforcements is minimal but expect most of the big-money signings to come from here. Chamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lankan captain who didn’t find a team in the first edition, recently lit up the WBBL in Australia and has been in great form in general. Danni Wyatt did her case no harm with a match-changing innings for England against India in the first T20I in Mumbai.
One of the surprises among the released players was South Africa speedster Shabnim Ismail. With UP Warriorz having four nailed-on overseas starters, Ismail had to be rotated in the opening season so perhaps she’d now get a side that has better use for her services. Amanda Jade-Wellington and Phoebe Litchfield are two other Aussie names to watch out for. It will also be interesting to see if any team takes a gamble on the retired-yet-potential-gamechanger Deandra Dottin, who along with Kim Garth, has entered the auction at the highest base price of Rs 50 lakhs.
Indian picks
Among the Indian squad taking on England in Mumbai, only Mannat Kashyap doesn’t have a WPL team and the youngster who shone at the U19 World Cup should have suitors on Saturday. The left-arm spinner bowled with great control at the World Cup and has impressed in the chances given to her in the India A setup. Among capped Indians, S Meghana would be a good option for a side looking for a domestic opener. It would also be a surprise if Uma Chetry, a hard-hitting wicketkeeper-bat, doesn’t find a bid after her impressive cameos against England A.
Devika Vaidya didn’t have the best of campaigns last time but at the right price, she’ll be a handy addition to most teams as an allrounder. Couple of uncapped Indians to look out for would be Mumbai’s leg-spinner Prakashika Naik and Karnataka’s Vrinda Dinesh.
