Smriti Mandhana retained but Deepti Sharma among Women's World Cup 2025 star performers released ahead of WPL 2026 Auction

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction is around the corner. Ahead of the same, the five franchises have locked in their retentions. While some of the big names have been retained as expected, some of the star performers from the recently concluded Women's World Cup 2025 have also been released.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma are among the star players who will be seen continuing with their respective WPL franchises.

Among the big names who have been released are Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr, and Deepti Sharma. All franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of five players.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have made use of all five retentions. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have retained four players. Gujarat Giants (GG) have retained two players, while UP Warriorz have retained just one player. The players have been retained at various price categories ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction.

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Team-wise list of WPL 2026 Retentions and Prices

UP Warriorz

UP Warriorz have retained batting all-rounder Shweta Sehrawat for ₹50 lakhs.

Gujarat Giants

Gujarat Giants retained the Australian duo of Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney. Gardner has been retained for ₹3.5 crores, while Mooney has been retained for ₹2.5 crores.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained their core of captain Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil. Smriti has been retained for ₹3.5 crores, while Richa was the second retention for ₹2.75 crores. Perry was retained for ₹2 crores while Shreyanka was retained for ₹60 lakhs.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals retained Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Niki Prasad. Jemimah was among their highest retentions for ₹2.2 crores. Shafali, Kapp, and Sutherland were also retained at the same price. Niki Prasad was retained for ₹50 lakhs.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians retained skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, and Hayley Matthews. Surprisingly, Nat Sciver-Brunt was their first retention for ₹3.5 crores. Harmanpreet was retained for ₹2.5 crore. Hayley Matthews was retained for ₹1.75 crore, while Amanjot was the fourth retention for ₹1 crore. Kamalini was retained for ₹50 lakhs.