Perry, Sutherland withdraw from WPL, King called in

Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland will not feature in the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) after withdrawing from the Indian competition due to personal reasons.

Leg-spinner Alana King and allrounder Charli Knott are among the replacement players in the squad changes announced ahead of the tournament's opening on January 9.

UP Warriorz' Tara Norris is another overseas player set to skip the competition after being named in the USA's squad for the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier that will be played from January 18 to 1 February 1 in Nepal.

Perry and Sutherland had both been retained by their teams – Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals respectively – ahead of last month's mega player auction.

However, Perry's decision to skip the tournament may have been made earlier with RCB claiming in a social media post on Wednesday they had knowledge of the situation a week ahead of the auction.

The star allrounder has been part of the side since the inaugural season in 2023 and has scored the most runs (972) for them in the competition history – and the second-most overall – while also chipping in with the ball regularly.

Interestingly, the team has chosen to go with a local player, Sayali Satghare, as her replacement.

Earlier in the day, Perry turned out for the Wellington Blaze in New Zealand's Super Smash tournament, scoring 39 off 31 and taking three wickets in her side's drubbing of the Northern Brave. She is expected to play two more games in her second stint with the club.

Meanwhile, King, who has previously represented the UPW Warriorz, will replace compatriot Sutherland at the Capitals.

The 30-year-old's non-selection was one of the major talking points after the auction given her strong performances at the World Cup in the subcontinent.

She will now earn her auction base price of $103,000 (INR 60 lakh) from her contract with the Capitals.

Queenslander Knott, who captained Brisbane Heat in absence of Jess Jonassen in the second half of WBBL|11, is set for a maiden appearance in the WPL after being called in by the Warriorz to replace Norris.