The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction will be held in New Delhi even though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to issue an official confirmation to the franchises. According to a Cricbuzz report, the teams have been informally informed about the proposed venue.
The exact date has yet to be confirmed, but the auction window has now been shortened to November 26 and 27. Earlier, the BCCI had hinted that it could be held anytime between November 26 and 29.
Although billed as a marquee event, the auction is likely to be completed in a single day. With just five teams in the league and a maximum squad size of 18 players, it is expected to be fast-paced, even if up to 90 players make it to the bidding process.
Under the revised retention guidelines, franchises will be allowed to retain up to three restricted Indian players, two overseas players and two unrestricted Indians, but the total number of retained players cannot exceed five. The framework has been designed to strike a balance between stability and competitiveness – helping teams retain key stars while providing space for promising local talent.
The Right to Match (RTM) rule comes into play for the first time.which allows franchises to reclaim a released player by matching the highest bid made during the auction. However, teams that choose to retain all five players will have INR 9.25 million deducted from their auction purse and will not be able to exercise any RTM options.
Player prices retained for WPL 2026
Retention 1 – 3.50 INR
Retention 2 – 2.50 million INR
Retention 3 – INR 1.75 million
Retention 4 – 1 billion INR
Retention 5-50 thousand INR
Mumbai Indians (MI) enter as the defending champions having secured the title in 2023 as well. Both times they defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), despite winning the championship last year, missed out on qualifying for the Eliminator in both 2023 and 2025.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
October 22, 2025
