WPL Auction 2026: Five Indian Buys Who Defined a Six-Hour Rollercoaster

Trisha Ghosal

The much-anticipated WPL auction is finally done and dusted. After a six-hour marathon, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru exhausted their purses and completed squads of 16 each, while UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants rebuilt with 18 players apiece. Here, we break down the top five Indian buys of the day.

Deepti Sharma (UPW) – RTM – ₹3.20 crore

The bidding for Deepti Sharma didn’t initially follow the expected script, with teams hovering around ₹50 lakh for far too long. Delhi Capitals showed intent, but UP Warriorz, armed with the largest purse and the powerful RTM card, held all the aces. They used it with precision, snapping her up for ₹3.20 crore, the second-highest bid in WPL history after Smriti Mandhana’s ₹3.50 crore in 2023. Deepti’s value was always destined to rise: new-ball spells, death bowling, improved finishing ability, plus her uncanny knack for run-outs make her a multi-dimensional force. Add her 2024 MVP title and her Player of the Tournament award from the ODI World Cup, and the price tag feels more like an investment than a gamble.

Shikha Pandey (UPW) – ₹2.40 crore

That Shikha Pandey would find bidders was expected. That she would fetch ₹2.40 crore was not. What isn’t in doubt is her effectiveness with the new ball. Likely to open the bowling alongside Kranti Gaud, Shikha’s disciplined spells for Delhi Capitals have been a blueprint for reliability. UPW had both the resources and clarity, they wanted Shikha, and they were willing to break the bank to secure her.

Sree Charani (DC) – ₹1.30 crore

A true homecoming. During the Women’s World Cup broadcast earlier this year, many viewers were surprised to learn that Sree Charani was playing in her home city, so deeply had she become associated with Delhi Capitals after her impactful WPL season. DC were expected to target both Deepti and Charani, and while they lost the former, they won this bidding war. Charani’s success through the middle overs at the World Cup makes her a crucial addition, adding incisiveness and balance to DC’s bowling attack.

Asha Shobhana (UPW) – ₹1.10 crore

In T20 cricket, wrist-spinners are currency and Asha Shobhana Joy, when fit, is a strike bowler of proven pedigree. Her success at RCB made her one of the few standout wrist-spinners in an increasingly thin Indian pool. UPW’s move to acquire her, especially alongside the control of Sophie Ecclestone and the versatility of Deepti Sharma, gives their attack rare variety. It also signals a tactical belief: batters win matches, but bowlers win tournaments.

Pooja Vastrakar (RCB) – ₹85 lakh

Pooja Vastrakar could easily have triggered a much higher bidding war had it not been for her persistent injury concerns. With her availability for WPL 2026 still uncertain and the rule disallowing injury replacements after the auction, RCB knew the risk. Yet they were thinking long-term. With Nadine de Klerk covering the role this season, RCB view Pooja as a future cornerstone: an Indian pace-bowling all-rounder who can swing the new ball, bowl at the death, and clear the ropes is cricketing gold dust. Injuries may have stalled her progress, but her potential is too valuable to ignore.