Spots at a premium as Aussies nominate for WPL auction

Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland headline a list of 17 Australians who have put their names forward for the upcoming Women's Premier League auction.

The second WPL auction will be staged in Mumbai on December 9, four days before Australia arrive for their multi-format series against India.

A total of 165 players have nominated, including recently crowned Weber WBBL|09 Player of the Tournament Chamari Athapaththu.

The Sri Lanka captain was overlooked in the first WPL auction earlier this year but should attract plenty of interest after scoring 552 runs at a strike rate of 127 for the Sydney Thunder.

Litchfield is also a good chance of securing her first WPL deal after a breakout year both in the green and gold and on the domestic circuit.

Of the 15 Australians bought last year, six have been released by their franchises.

Of those, only Megan Schutt (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Heather Graham (Mumbai Indians) have not nominated for this auction, while speedster Darcie Brown is again a notable name missing from the list.

Sutherland, Kim Garth, Georgia Wareham were all released by Gujarat Giants, while Erin Burns was not retained by RCB.

Clubs confirmed their retentions last month and overseas spots will be at a premium, with just nine places available.

Australians in the WPL Auction

 

Base price 50 lakh (A$90,000): Kim Garth

 

Base price 40 lakh (A$72,000): Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

 

Base price 30 lakh (A$54,000): Phoebe Litchfield, Naomi Stalenberg, Alana King, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux, Lauren Cheatle

 

Base price 10 lakh (A$18,000): Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Millicent Illingworth, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Day, Courtney Webb

Only two players – Garth and former West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin – have entered themselves in the highest price bracket, at a base price of 50 lakh (A$90,000).

Sutherland and Wareham are in the second-highest category, with a base price of 40 lakh (A$72,000).

Leg-spinners Alana King and Amanda-Jade Wellington, who were both overlooked for the first edition of the WPL earlier this year, have nominated in the third highest bracket for a base price of 30 Lakh (A$54,000).

In total, there are 30 slots to fill across the five teams, with 21 of those for domestic players.

The Giants, who finished on the bottom of the table, have the biggest budget after releasing more than half their squad, including three overseas player slots.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, the other team to miss finals, also have three overseas spots available, while Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz have one apiece.

Australians retained for WPL 2024

 

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner (A$577,000), Beth Mooney (A$361,000)

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Ellyse Perry (A$306,000)

 

UP Warriorz: Tahlia McGrath (A$252,000), Grace Harris (A$135,000), Alyssa Healy (A$126,000)

 

Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (A$199,000), Jess Jonassen (A$90,000), Laura Harris (A$81,000)