Sneh Rana, Poonam Yadav, Heather Knight and Lea Tahuhu are among the prominent cricketers being released by their respective Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises ahead of the next auction in the lead-up to the third season, in early 2025. The auction is likely to be in early December and the purse has been increased from INR 13.5 crore last season to INR 15 crore this year.
Gujarat Giants (GG), who finished bottom of the five-team table in both the seasons of the WPL so far, have decided to let go of Rana, the allrounder who led them in the first season after captain Beth Mooney left the tournament with an injury, as well as Tahuhu and Kathryn Bryce. They have retained India allrounder Sayali Satghare and Vidarbha batter Bharti Fulmali and released Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan and Lauren Cheatle.
Rana, the offspin-bowling allrounder who hasn’t played a white-ball game for India since December last year – and hasn’t featured in a T20I XI since February 2023 – has had a rough time of it in the WPL. In 12 matches across two seasons, she has just six wickets (an average of 52.16 and economy rate of 9.02) and 47 runs (average 6.71). New Zealander Tahuhu, a veteran of the game, wasn’t one of Giants’ preferred overseas players in 2024, playing just two games through the season for one wicket at an economy rate of 7.60. Scotland captain Bryce, on the other hand, was on the field in eight games last season and averaged 20.75 with the bat and had an economy rate of 8.66 with the ball.
England captain Knight, who had pulled out of the 2024 season due to international duty, was released by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They have released six other players while retaining big names including captain Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine. South Africa allrounder Nadine de Klerk who came in as Knight’s replacement last season has also been released. Shubha Satheesh, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Simran Bahadur and Shraddha Pokarkar are the other names who have been released.
The biggest name released by Delhi Capitals (DC), the losing finalists in both seasons of the WPL so far, is legspinner Poonam, who was once one of the mainstays of the India team across formats but hasn’t played international cricket since March 2022. Poonam didn’t get a game last season in the WPL either.
Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, have let go of Fatima Jaffer, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala and England fast bowler Issy Wong. They’ve retained their strong core of international stars including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail.
UP Warriorz (UPW), who made the playoffs after finishing third on the table in the first season but only finished No. 4 in 2024, have released bowling allrounder Parshavi Chopra, uncapped Laxmi Yadav, who had been drafted into the side as an injury replacement for India wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry last season, uncapped medium-pacer S Yashasri and England fast bowler Lauren Bell. Chetry remains a part of the squad. UPW had earlier traded Danni Wyatt-Hodge to RCB.
