The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction, set to take place in Mumbai this Saturday, promises to be an intriguing affair with the five competing teams poised to enter a bidding war for the talents they need to mount a title charge. A total of 165 players – 104 Indians and 61 from overseas – will go under the hammer on December 9 and cricket fans around the world will be eager to see which players end up with which franchisee. While some of the big names at the auction like Deandra Dottin and Kim Garth are expected to spark bitter bidding wars, a few lesser-known players in the auction pool can also surprise everyone and land lucrative contracts.
Here are some players who could be surprise picks at the WPL 2024 auction:
Mannat Kashyap (India)
Available for a minimum base price of Rs 10 lakh, Mannat Kashyap, just 19, is expected to attract some serious attention at the upcoming auction. The Delhi girl was part of the Indian squad which won the Under-19 Women’s World Cup in South Africa earlier this year and has already earned her maiden senior team call up as a member of the Indian squad for the ongoing T20 series against England.
An old school left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap picked up nine wickets in six games for India at the junior World Cup in South Africa and was India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament behind Parshavi Chopra. The fact that she is handy with the bat as well, will command a premium as well.
Devika Vaidya (India)
A full-fledged India international, Devika Vaidya’s experience will be a big draw in the upcoming auction. The left-arm all rounder is a crafty spinner and has the ability to deliver with the bat as well. She was part of a bidding war during the inaugural WPL auction earlier this year as well, with UP Warriorz finally secoring her services for a hefty Rs 1.4 crore. However, a disappointing season in 2023 saw her being released from the team ahead of the WPL 2024 auction.
Vaidya was part of the Indian team which won the gold medal at Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. Though the Maharashtra cricketer, available for a base price of Rs 30 lakh, may not quite fetch the premium she did last time around, Devika Vaidya can be worth a punt on.
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
The veteran Sri Lankan captain has been a consistent performer for her national team for over a decade now but surprisingly remained unsold at the last auction. However, it’s expected that there’ll be a lot more interest in the Lankan opener at the upcoming auction given her current form.
The 33-year-old scored 552 runs in 14 innings in the Women’s Big Bash League 2023-24 and has 470 runs to her name in 16 T20Is this year. She can also roll her arms for her team whenever required. At a base price of just Rs 30 lakh, she could be a bargain buy for any team looking for an experienced player and a leader on the pitch.
Vrinda Dinesh (India)
Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh can prove to be a dark horse in the WPL 2024 auctions. The 22-year-old Meg Lanning fan has the ability to light up any match with her power hitting and has been a consistent performer for her state team for years.
She recently came into the spotlight after being a surprise inclusion in India’s under-23 squad for the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Cup 2023 in Hong Kong. Vrinda’s performances during the team’s warm-up matches earned her a spot in the team as a last-minute call up in place of injured pacer S Yashasri.
Vrinda made the starting XI for the final against Bangladesh and was India’s highest scorer with 36 off 29. Her knock helped India post 127 in a sluggish pitch – 31 more than what Bangladesh managed while chasing.
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