Top 5 most expensive players bought at WPL 2026 Auction ft. Deepti Sharma

A total of 67 players were sold at the WPL 2026 auction in Delhi on Thursday, November 27. The list featured 23 overseas players. Overall, the five franchises spent INR 40.8 crore at the auction.

Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz have the joint-highest number of players in their squads after the auction – 18 each. Meanwhile, two-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), and 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have 16 apiece.

Deepti Sharma and Amelia Kerr (New Zealand) became the costliest Indian and overseas players, respectively, at the WPL 2026 auction. The two players had the same base price of INR 50 lakh.

In this article, we take a look at the five costliest players at the WPL 2026 auction.

Deepti Sharma – INR 3.2 crore

Deepti Sharma. Source: Getty

Delhi Capitals bought Deepti Sharma at her base price (INR 50 lakh) before UP Warriorz chose to exercise their Right to Match (RTM) option for the star all-rounder. The Capitals then raised the bid to INR 3.2 crore, but UP-W were firm in their stance to get Deepti back in their ranks.

Deepti recently became the Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Women’s World Cup. The off-spinner emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps. The left-handed batter was equally handy with the bat, with 215 runs in seven innings, including three half-centuries.

In WPL, she has amassed 507 runs and scalped 27 wickets in 25 matches.

Amelia Kerr – INR 3 crore

Amelia Kerr (extreme left). Source: Getty

Mumbai Indians (MI) re-bought Amelia Kerr after a bidding war with UP-W. The Kiwi all-rounder enjoys a terrific record in WPL, amassing 437 runs in 29 matches at a strike rate of 119.39. The leg-spinner has also bagged 40 wickets at an economy rate of 7.64. The 25-year-old also brings a wealth of experience from playing in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and Women’s Hundred.

Kerr is equally impressive in internationals, amassing 1,453 runs (five 50s) and scalping 95 wickets in 88 T20Is. She is known for picking up wickets in the slog overs and handy with the bat in the middle order.

Shikha Pandey – INR 2.4 crore

Shikha Pandey. Source: Getty

Shikha Pandey is a seasoned bowler with vast experience in international cricket. The 36-year-old has played three Tests, 55 ODIs, and 62 T20Is, bagging 122 wickets across formats for the Women in Blue. The 36-year-old also has experience playing in WBBL and Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). The UP Warriorz acquired her for INR 2.4 crore. Her base price was INR 40 lakh.

In WPL, Shikha has picked up 30 wickets in 27 matches at an economy rate of 6.96. She has scored 93 runs in 10 innings. The medium pacer is a strike bowler who is known for providing breakthroughs at any juncture of the game.

Sophie Devine – INR 2 crore

Sophie Devine. Source: Getty

Former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is another seasoned professional, whom the Gujarat Giants bought after a bidding war with DC. The Kiwi great has a wealth of experience playing in WBBL, Women’s Hundred, and WCL. She has alone picked up 116 wickets and scored 4,072 runs in 137 WBBL games.

The 36-year-old is equally brilliant in international cricket with 3,431 runs and 119 wickets in 146 games. In WPL, the hard-hitting batter has scored 402 runs in 18 innings at a stunning strike rate of 153.43, including two fifties. The medium pacer has also scalped nine wickets.

Meg Lanning – INR 1.9 crore

Meg Lanning (middle). Source: Getty

The UP-W have seemingly bought their new skipper, multiple World Cup-winning captain, Meg Lanning, aboard for INR 1.9 crore. For her services, they beat DC in a bidding war to acquire the Aussie legend.

Notably, Lanning has led the Capitals to three consecutive WPL finals. She will now look to turn things around for UPW, which finished third, fourth, and fifth in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions of the tournament. She can also help groom Deepti as the future captain.

Lanning also enjoys a promising record with the bat in the 20-over format. In WPL, the right-handed batter has amassed 952 runs in 27 matches at a strike rate of 127.10, including nine half-centuries. She is known for providing stability at the top of the order. The 33-year-old has over 3,400 runs in T20Is (now retired) and WBBL.