The Women's Premier League's (WPL) 2023 auction finally concluded on Monday (February 13) which saw five franchises breaking bank to grab star players in their respective teams for the women's cricket slugfest which is scheduled to commence from March 4. Umpteen players became millionaires overnight while some big names failed to attract the bidders' attention and remained unsold in the WPL auction.
India's star opener Smriti Mandhana turned heads as she scripted by becoming the most expensive player WPL 2023 auction. She was roped in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who splashed a whopping Rs 3.40 crore on the star southpaw. nglish all-rounder Natalie Sciver is the joint-most expensive overseas player in the auction. Sciver went to Mumbai Indians for a whopping 3.2 crore. On the other hand, English all-rounder Natalie Sciver became the joint-most expensive overseas player in the auction. Sciver went to Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.2 crore. Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was sold to Gujarat Giants for Rs 3.2 crore.
A total of 87 players from across the world were signed to feature in the WPL 2023. But amid big signings, some high-profile players failed to turn franchises' heads. Let's have a look at the list such big names who failed to make a cut in the WPL auction.
Unsold Players list in Women's Premier League Auction 2023:
Meghna Singh: India's star player, Meghna Singh, who is regular in India's ODI setup, was out of favour in the WPL auction. Not a single franchise, out of five, seemed interested to rope her in. Notably, she is also a part of the reserves for the Indian team at the ongoing 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Laura Wolvaardt: In another WPL auction snub which shocked everyone was South Africa's star opener Laura Wolvaardt. Laura couldn't get a single bid from any of the franchises in the glitzy auction. The 23-year-old batter is known for her explosive batting but her unidimensional gameplay failed to garner any attention.
Suzie Bates: New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates failed to attract any bids at the WPL auction despite being a regular member for White Ferns. She currently ranked seventh in the ICC T20I rankings, but her dwindling bowling stocks and age might have played a factor in teams deciding to look beyond her.
Alana King: Chennai-rooted star Australian leg spinner, Alana King was another big name who remained unsold in the WPL auction. She shone with her tremendous performances in the recently concluded bilateral series against India.
Katherine Brunt: One of the most successful all-rounders of current times, Katherine Brunt will sit out of the WPL 2023 as she too found herself ignored in the WPL auction. Her patchy form could be one of the reasons she failed to garner bidders' attention. However, her spouse Natalie Sciver managed to attract a lump-sum bid from the Mumbai Indians, Brunt will have to cheer for her from the sidelines.
Ekta Bisht: It was shocking to see India's most economical spinners Ekta Bisht snubbed inthe WPL auction. She has picked 53 wickets in 42 T20Is for India at an economy rate of 5.3 runs per over. The 37-year-old is at the fag end of her career career.
Ayabonga Khaka: South Africa's star pacer, who has emerged as team's first choice in bowling across format, also found herself out of favour in the WPL auction. Despite the constant improvement in her gameplay, she failed to attract bidders.
Lea Tahuhu: New Zealand's tearaway pacer, who is also the fastest bowler in women's cricket, was snubbed in the inaugural WPL auction. She has featured in 72 T20Is for New Zealand and has snared 67 wickets.
Sune Luus: South Africa's skipper Sune Luus, who is leading her team in the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup 2023 couldn't get a single deal from any of the five franchises. She has played 97 T20Is in which she has scored 1030 runs riding on four fifties while she has also snared 49 wickets.
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