WPL 2026 Auction: The two-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) bolstered their squad after grabbing key players in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction in New Delhi on November 27. MI picked up New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr for Rs 3 crore after fending off strong interest from the UP Warriorz. Additionally, the franchise re-acquired the services of South Africa's express pacer Shabnim Ismail, successfully countering bids placed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Amelia Kerr becomes MI's top pick
Notably, MI entered the auction having retained five players from their previous title-winning squad, which meant they walked in with a tighter budget of Rs 5.75 crore to spend on new talent. With a maximum squad strength of 18 players, MI had 13 remaining slots to fill, including a maximum of four overseas and nine Indian players. However, due to retaining the maximum quota of players, the franchise possessed no Right to Match (RTM) cards to utilise during the auction process.
The day-long auction engaged a deep pool of talent, featuring 52 capped Indian players, 66 capped overseas players, 142 uncapped Indian players, and 17 uncapped overseas players. Franchises strengthened their squads across various price brackets: 19 players registered in the highest base-price bracket of ₹50 lakh, 11 players in the ₹40 lakh bracket, and 88 players in the Rs 30 lakh bracket. Notably, the list also included four players from Associate nations, all listed at the minimum base price of Rs 10 lakh.
Mumbai Indians' Top Buys in WPL 2026 auction
Amelia Kerr (Rs 3 crore), Shabnim Ismail (Rs 60 lakh), Sanskriti Gupta (Rs 20 lakh), Sajana S (Rs 75 lakh), Rahila Firdous (Rs 10 lakh), Nicola Carey (Rs 30 lakh), Poonam Khemnar (Rs 10 lakh), Triveni Vasistha (Rs 20 lakh), Nalla Reddy (Rs 10 lakh)
Mumbai Indians' retained players:
Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs. 2.5 crore), Nat Sciver-Brunt (Rs. 3.5 crore), Amanjot Kaur (Rs. 1 crore), Hayley Matthews (Rs. 1.75 crore), G. Kamalini (Rs. 50 lakh)
Mumbai Indians' full squad
MI WPL 2025 Squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr (Rs. 3.00 crore), Shabnim Ismail (Rs. 0.60 crore), Sanskriti Gupta (Rs. 0.20 crore), Sajana Sajeevan (Rs. 0.75 crore), Rahila Firdous (Rs. 0.10 crore), Nicola Carey (Rs. 0.30 crore), Poonam Khemnar (Rs. 0.10 crore), Triveni Vasistha (Rs. 0.20 crore), Nalla Reddy
How did Mumbai Indians fare in last season?
MI defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 8 runs in a thrilling final to secure their second WPL title in the three seasons of the tournament. Notably, MI finished the league stage in second position with 10 points (5 wins, 3 losses), qualifying for the Eliminator.