For Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 all five franchises, Mumbai Indians Women, Delhi Capitals Women, Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women, Gujarat Giants Women, UP Warriorz Women, announced their retained and released players, promising to make the mega auction an exciting and unpredictable event.
This WPL 2026 retention list indicates which stars have been settled on and those that have returned to the auction block. The mega auction will be conducted on November 27, 2025, in New Delhi.
Team‑by‑Team Retentions and Releases
Each team is allowed five players. The mega auction regulations permits capped Indian, uncapped Indian, and overseas players, restricting use of RTM (Right to Match) varying according to retention.
RTM in cricket auctions allows a franchise to retain a released player by matching the highest bid made for that player during the auction.
Moreover, the maximum number of overseas players retained, and salary cap should be considered. This is what the WPL 2026 retention list and release list looks like;
Mumbai Indians Women (MI)
Retained | Nat Sciver‑Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini |
Released | Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Saika Ishaque, Chloe Tryon, and more |
Purse Remaining | ₹5.75 Crore |
RTM Cards | 0 |
The WPL 2026 retention lists decisions of MI are biased to continuity; however, they lose flexibility in the auction when all retentions are used.
Delhi Capitals Women (DC)
Retained | Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Niki Prasad |
Released | Meg Lanning, Radha Yadav, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia, Sarah Bryce |
Purse Remaining | ₹5.75 Crore |
RTM Cards | 0 |
DC took the same approach as Mi and maintained all five players, including the star Indian and foreign players.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB)
Retained | Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil |
Released | Danni Wyatt, Sabbineni Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht |
Purse Remaining | ₹6.25 Crore |
RTM Card | 1 |
It’s exciting seeing Ellyse Perry in the WPL 2026 retention list given she was the highest run-scorer in WPL history.
Gujarat Giants Women (GG)
Retained | Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney |
Released | Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin, Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol |
Purse Remaining | ₹9 Crore |
RTM Card | 3 |
UPW will be aiming at a complete squad overhaul, going into the auction with the biggest purse and various RTM cards.
UP Warriorz Women (UPW)
Retained | Shweta Sehrawat (only one) |
Released | Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Chamari Athapaththu, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, and more |
Purse Remaining | ₹14.5 Crore |
RTM | 4 |
The differences in purse sizes show that the franchises will be keen on acquiring the best talent.
Wrapping Up
The 2026 WPL retention list paves the way to one of the most interesting auctions in the female world of cricket. There are those franchises that have retained their stars and those that are seeking to re-invent themselves altogether by re-developing a very interesting blend of strategy, opportunity, and uncertainty. The fans can be assured of a tense auction, which will determine the season and will transform the dynamics of the teams throughout the league.
Amit Mishra’s Take
As a cricket enthusiast, I find the 2026 WPL retention list fascinating because it shows how teams balance loyalty with strategy. Watching franchises retain some of their core players while letting go of others reveals how serious the competition has become.
The next WPL 2026 mega sale already seems like it will transform the league as a whole.
