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Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz fought tooth and nail to secure Gautam the 20-year-old all-rounder from Chandigarh known for her right-arm pace bowling. She was finally lapped up by the Giants for a whopping Rs 2 crores. Gautam drew attention during the India A versus England A T20 series for her composed performance in a crucial over during a low-scoring victory for her team.
Karnataka’s Vrinda Dinesh was acquired by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.3 crore, Shabnim Ismail by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.2 crore, and Phoebe Litchfield by Gujarat Giants for Rs 1 crore, all surpassing the Rs 1 crore mark in the auction.
Vrinda Dinesh, a 23-year-old right-hand batter playing for Karnataka, has been the standout figure on the domestic circuit. Her domestic cricket performance in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy saw her amass 211 runs across 7 innings at an impressive strike rate of 154.01. Additionally, she notably represented India A in the recent three T20Is against England A.
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In the early stages, Australian cricketers attracted the highest bids with all-rounder Annabel Sutherland being sold to Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore and batter Phoebe Litchfield to Gujarat Giants for Rs 1 crore.
The 22-year-old Sutherland was released by Gujarat Giants after the inaugural edition of WPL held in March this year. She attracted bids from defending champions Mumbai Indians but they pulled out, with the player eventually going to the Capitals.
Gujarat Giants went for the left-handed 20-year-old Litchfield who has made her debut across formats for Australia.
South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail was added to Mumbai Indians squad for Rs 1.20 crore, three times her base price.
Royal Challengers Bangalore went for Australia’s Georgia Wareham in the earlier stages of the auction, paying Rs 40 lakh for the deal.
RCB also bought England’s Kate Cross for Rs 30 lakh and the 37-year-old Indian spinner Ekta Bisht for Rs 60 lakh, two times her base price.
WPL team purse
A total of 165 cricketers—104 Indians and 61 overseas players—participated in the WPL auction in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and UP Warriorz retained most of their key players, whereas Royal Challengers and Gujarat Giants aimed to bolster their squads through the market.
Before the auction, Gujarat Giants had the largest budget of Rs 5.95 crore with ten slots to fill, while UP Warriorz possessed Rs 4 crores and five slots to occupy. Mumbai Indians had the smallest sum at Rs 2.1 crores, needing to fill five slots.
(With PTI inputs)