WPL 2026 auction to take place in New Delhi on November 27: Reports

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 27. According to Sportstar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the five franchises that the auction will be a one-day event, to be held at a hotel in Aerocity.

Earlier, it was learnt that the retention window will close on November 5, by which franchises must submit their list of retained players. On November 7, the complete pool of auction-eligible players will be released.

In 2025, the five Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises retained a total of 71 players, leaving just 19 spots up for grabs at the upcoming auction. With the retention cap limited to five players per team, major shake-ups and intense bidding duels are anticipated this season.

Under the revised regulations, each team can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indians, while staying within the overall limit of five.

The Board of Control for Cricket in



India (BCCI) has also set the auction purse at Rs 15 crore. Player retention will follow specific slabs — Rs 3.5 crore for Player 1, Rs 2.5 crore for Player 2, Rs 1.75 crore for Player 3, and Rs 1 crore for Player 4. If a fifth player is retained, Rs 50 lakh will be deducted for them.

Adding a new twist, the Right to Match (RTM) card will be introduced for the first time. This feature allows franchises to buy back a released player by matching the highest bid made for them during the auction. However, teams retaining all five players will see Rs 9.25 crore deducted from their purse and will not be eligible to use any RTM cards.

Mumbai Indians (MI) enter the 2025 season as the defending champions, having also lifted the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) trophy in 2023. On both occasions, they triumphed over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who captured their maiden title in 2024, endured a disappointing campaign this year, failing to qualify for the Eliminator in both 2023 and 2025.