WPL 2027: RCB release Grace Harris, Linsey Smith; Ellyse Perry confirms availability
ESPNcricinfoNews article
UP Warriorz released Deandra Dottin and Chloe Tryon and go into the auction with seven vacancies and the biggest purse
Talking about Dottin, UPW head coach Abhishek Nayar said: "I saw her in the CPL... I feel she had a lull last one year, especially her batting has gone downhill, and we really wanted someone who could give a lot with the bat. The emphasis was on someone who can play with that 130-140 strike rate, take the game away [from the opposition], it's something she did a lot [earlier]. But I feel in the last one year, she hasn't been at her best."
They go into the auction with seven vacancies and the biggest purse, INR 3.65 crore.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge was the most high-profile player Gujarat Giants (GG) released. The others were Ayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu and Shivani Singh.
Wyatt-Hodge was a back-up opener to Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine and played just one game last season. GG head coach Michael Klinger said the team management felt it was better to look for "another overseas player in the auction and see what other skill sets are out there".
"Also, Danni has also got some English series on during the WPL," Klinger said. "And I suppose her preference was to be playing cricket as well, rather than potentially being part of our squad and maybe being on the bench."
Two-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) released five Indians and one overseas player: Milly Illingworth, G Kamalini, Saika Ishaque, Kranthi Reddy, Poonam Khemnar and Triveni Vasistha. It's understood that Kamalini will be unavailable for the WPL as it overlaps with the 2027 U-19 Women's T20 World Cup.
Like UPW, MI too have seven slots open but they have the smallest purse available, INR 1 crore.
The fifth edition of the WPL will be played from January 14 to February 7. The mini-auction for that will be held on October 28 in Kochi.
Teams can have a maximum of 18 players in their squad, including six from overseas. Overall, 27 slots are to be filled on the auction day, of which up to seven can be for overseas players. Here's how the squads stack up.
Delhi Capitals
Players released: Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia, Pragati Singh, Eddla Srujana Players retained: Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Laura Wolvaardt, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Deeya Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mamatha Madiwala, Minnu Mani, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Niki Prasad, Shafali Verma Slots available: 5 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.10 crore
Gujarat Giants
Players released: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Ayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Shivani Singh Players retained: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Yastika Bhatia Slots available: 3 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.25 crore
Mumbai Indians
Released players: Milly Illingworth, G Kamalini, Kranthi Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha Retained players: Melie Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Vaishnavi Sharma Slots available: 7 (one overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Players released: Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, D Hemalatha, Gautami Nayak Players retained: Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Prathyoosha Kumar, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana Slots available: 5 (two overseas) Purse remaining: INR 1.15 crore
UP Warriorz
Players released: Amy Jones, Charli Knott, Chloe Tryon, Deandra Dottin, Asha Sobhana, G Trisha, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Suman Meena Players retained: Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Tara Norris, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh Slots available: 7 (two overseas) Purse remaining: INR 3.65 crore
Based on ESPNcricinfo reporting