Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: WPL Auction: Top 5 Most Expensive Players | Most expensive players from the WPL 2023 Auction

The inaugural auction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) rounded off with the five franchises collectively shelling out Rs 59.5 crore for 87 players in Delhi on Monday 13 February.

Top Indian internationals along with the stars from India’s recent victorious campaign in the U19 Women’s World Cup were the flavour of the day with teams breaking the bank to get them in their squad. Without further ado, let us take a look at the five most expensive picks from the auction.

Top 5 expensive players in WPL 2023

Smriti Mandhana – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Indian batter Smriti Mandhana emerged as the most expensive pick in the auction as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) paid Rs 3.4 crore to acquire her services. The southpaw averages 27.33 with a strike rate of 122 in 112 T20Is and has represented franchises like the Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Western Storm, Trailblazers, Southern Brave and Sydney Thunder previously.

She has notched 20 half-centuries in the shortest format of the game for India and is arguably the most complete batswoman to have excelled in all formats and all stages from the country. Her topping this chart should not come across as a surprise.

Ashleigh Gardner – Gujarat Giants

25-year-old Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner secured a sum of Rs 3.2 crore to turn up for the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural edition of the WPL. Gardner has an impressive strike rate of 133.62 in the 68 T20Is at an average of 26.73. She has six half-centuries to her name and has also scalped 48 wickets at an economy rate of 6.23.

A gun middle-order bat, Gardner has all the skills to lit up the tournament with her promising skills in all walks of the game. The Gujarat-based franchise is also comparatively lighter in terms of their domestic talents and they will expect their most lucrative pick to do well in those circumstances.

Natalie Sciver – Mumbai Indians

Natalie Sciver was roped in for Rs 3.2 crore by Mumbai Indians – the exact same fee that Gujarat paid for Gardner. The Englishwoman has been one of the stalwarts of the national team recently and she possesses the all-round skillsets to justify that pedigree. Sciver has an average and strike rate of 25.37 and 112.65 respectively in 105 T20Is.

Sciver has also struck nine half-centuries and has taken 78 wickets at an economy of 6.46 in T20Is. She has been around the block in T20 franchise cricket – having represented the likes of Melbourne Stars Women, Perth Scorchers Women, Surrey Stars and also the Trent Rockets Women.

Deepti Sharma – UP Warriors

Deepti Sharma is a vital cog in the Indian national team setup as she is a reliable middle-order batter and has the requisite bowling skills to supplement and add to her contributions with the bat. The UP Warriors paid Rs 2.6 crore to get Sharma in their roster. She averages 26.11 with the bat in 88 T20Is and has multiple notable contributions lower down the order to her name.

The off-break bowler has also taken 97 wickets at an economy of 6.12, helping the Indian side plug the flow of runs and induce dismissals at timely intervals simultaneously. Sharma is the second-costliest Indian pick in the auction – even beating the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues in the race.

Jemimah Rodrigues – Delhi Capitals

Jemimah’s incredible 56* against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup came about just at the right time as franchises went absolutely berserk to get her on-board in the auction on Monday.

The batter symbolises everything synonymous with the new-age brand of women’s cricket in India – classy, stylish and full of substance. Rodrigues can be entrusted upon to be a bank with the bat, which is evident from her average of 30.72 in 66 T20I innings.

The 22-year-old induced a bidding war between Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals with the former looking keen to add the local talent to their squad. However, the Capitals managed to get Rodrigues in their side by paying Rs 2.2 crore for her.