The Women’s Premier League auction will happen on November 26-27 in New Delhi this year. All five WPL teams are getting ready to buy new players for next season. The entire auction should finish in just one day because there aren’t many teams.
When and Where Will the Auction Happen?
BCCI has picked November 26-27 as the dates for the big WPL 2026 auction event. New Delhi will host this important player auction where teams spend their money. The cricket board hasn’t sent official letters to franchises yet about the final details.
Teams need to submit their retention lists by November 5 before the auction starts. Each franchise has to decide which players it wants to keep from last season. The auction is called a mega event but won’t take too long to complete.
Only five teams play in WPL right now so the bidding won’t drag on. Each squad can have a maximum of 18 players which keeps the auction process short. Most cricket experts believe everything will wrap up within a single day only.
What Are the Player Retention Rules?
Every WPL team can hold on to five players from their current squad. Keeping players costs money from the total purse of INR 15 crore available. The first retained player takes INR 3.5 crore from the team’s total budget.
The retention cost drops for each player after that in a staggered manner. Uncapped players cost only INR 50 lakh if teams want to retain them. Teams can keep a maximum of three capped Indian players and two overseas players together.
How Do Right to Match Cards Work?
BCCI gave each team five Right to Match cards to use during bidding. These RTM cards let teams buy back their old players at auction. But there’s a catch that reduces these options based on player retention.
If a team retains one player then they lose one RTM card automatically. So retaining more players means fewer RTM options available during the auction day. Teams must plan smartly about retention versus using RTM cards for the best results.
Franchises are busy planning their strategies for the auction right now in offices. Cricket fans are excited to see which players get big contracts next month. The WPL 2026 auction always brings surprises and record-breaking bids from team owners.
