The BCCI will conduct the player auction for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Indian T20 League at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on February 13 with 409 cricketers registering their names to be a part of the tournament. The five franchises taking part in the auction will bid for 246 Indian players along with 163 overseas players.
A maximum of 90 players can be picked by the five teams with each team allowed to select a maximum of 12 Indian players and 6 overseas players. The auction purse for each franchise has been set at ₹12 crores, while the highest base price for players has been set at ₹50 lakhs.
With the phenomenal success of both the franchise and broadcasting auctions, the player auction is expected to be a grand success as well. As the franchises tune their strategies for the auction, here’s a look at five players who can command big bucks at the Women’s Indian T20 League auction on February 13.
Harmanpreet Kaur
India’s captain in all three formats of the game, Harmanpreet Kaur is the face of women’s cricket in the country.
A veteran of the sport, Harmanpreet Kaur has played in 146 T20 fixtures since 2009, scoring 2,940 runs for the Women in Blue. She has scored one century and nine half-centuries in her career, batting at an average of 28.26. The all-rounder has been efficient with the ball as well, picking up 32 wickets in her career so far.
With the franchises looking to field big-name stars in the inaugural edition of the tournament to attract audiences, Harmanpreet Kaur is a first choice for all five franchises.
Just like the intense bidding wars seen for India’s veterans Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar back in 2007, there is likely to be an intense fight among all five franchises to pick Harmanpreet Kaur.
Elysse Perry
Australia’s players are expected to be the most in-demand players during the auction. Experience in the Women’s Big Bash League is a factor in favour of the Australians, who dominate the sport in all formats of the game.
This success in the sport has been championed by their all-rounder Elysse Perry, who for much of the last decade was the face of Women’s cricket around the world. Elysse Perry’s mastery of both batting and fast bowling made her a core part of every team she has played with, accumulating numerous records and accolades along the way.
Since 2008, Elysse Perry has won a whopping seven world championships with Australia, and two Women’s Big Bash League titles with Sydney Sixers. With a terrific record with both the bat and the ball, the veteran Australian player is likely to be the biggest attraction during the auction.
Alyssa Healy
A right-handed batter and wicketkeeper, Alyssa Healy attracted the attention of Indians when she went past the record of Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in T20 cricket. In her 12-year career so far, Alyssa Healy has accumulated 2,300 runs in 136 international matches for Australia, scoring a century and 12 half-centuries in the process.
Nominated for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Decade, Alyssa Healy has narrowly lost out to her teammate Elysse Perry. While she may be approaching the end of her international career, Alyssa Healy is likely to be a major draw in the inaugural Women’s Indian T20 League auction.
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana came to fame during the finals of the ICC ODI World Cup in 2017 when India lost to England in the finals by nine runs.
Known for her aggressive approach to batting, Smriti Mandhana has accumulated 2615 runs in 112 matches, scoring at a brilliant strike rate of 123.13. Mandhana also has a brilliant record in domestic matches, holding the record for the highest score in the Women’s Big Bash League.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is another Indian player who can evince interest from franchises in the auction with the 25-year-old all-rounder currently ranked No.4 in the world. Deepti Sharma has scored 914 runs in 87 matches in the shortest format of the game, scoring at a terrific strike rate of 106.52 in the death overs. She has taken 96 wickets in the format, bowling at a superb economy rate of 6.08.
With franchises paying high sums to acquire the rights for the tournament, they will be keen to secure the services of key Indian players to attract sponsors.
The likes of Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Shafali Verma are thus likely to be highly in demand, both for their on-field performance and off-field popularity.
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