The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction is buzzing with excitement, and fans can feel the hot breeze of India’s recent Women’s World Cup victory! This win didn’t just give India a trophy; it injected a feverish energy into the women's cricket scene. Now, teams are racing to capture that magic by signing players who can ride this wave of success. But hold your horses! Before the auction even kicked off at 3:30 PM IST, a major twist hit the stalls. The WPL officially announced that three players — batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia, and seamer VJ Joshitha — are injured and won’t play in the tournament. Shockingly, even though these players stayed in the auction list, franchises who buy them won’t be able to replace them later. That means teams must be very careful - buying these players is like carrying dead weight through the season. This rule is a game-changer and has made teams think twice before piling up big names. Strategy is just as important as star power this year. The auction started fierce with 277 players - 194 Indians and 83 overseas - chasing just 73 spots across five teams. The competition was brutal! Among the spotlighted players were big stars like Laura Wolvaardt, Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy, and Deepti Sharma. All these stars were released before the auction, sparking interesting battles on their bids. And oh boy, did Deepti Sharma’s release cause a stir! The 2025 World Cup Player of the Tournament being released by UP Warriorz is one of the hottest pre-auction debates and promises to shake things up. Teams also had limits on how many players to retain and how many overseas players they can pick. Plus, a new ‘Right-to-Match’ card made its debut this year. It lets teams buy back a released player by matching another team’s final bid — but since purse money is tight, this card might not be used often. Here’s a quick look at where teams stand before the auction started: - Delhi Capitals kept Rodrigues, Shafali, Sutherland, Kapp, and Prasad, with ₹5.75 crore left but no RTM cards. - Mumbai Indians stuck with Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot, Kamalini, Matthews, also ₹5.75 crore free, and no RTMs. - RCB chose Mandhana, Perry, Richa, Shreyanka, had ₹6.15 crore left and 1 RTM card. - Gujarat Giants retained Gardner, Mooney, with ₹9 crore in the bank and 3 RTMs. - UP Warriorz kept Shweta Sehrawat, holding the largest purse and up to 5 RTM cards. As the auction unfolded, some stars went unsold, surprising many fans and changing the team dynamics. These unsold players could still tell an intriguing story of tactics, money talk, and unforeseen twists. With all this drama, WPL 2026 promises to be a blockbuster season filled with thrilling cricket and savvy team moves. Are you ready to watch your favourite star shine under this masaledar spotlight?