A total of 146 players have registered for the Women’s Premier League 2027 auction, which will be held in Kochi on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., Sports Digest reported. Of them, 119 are Indian, 22 of them capped and 97 uncapped, and 27 are overseas, 14 capped and 13 uncapped, including six from associate nations. The five franchises, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, have 27 slots between them, 20 for Indian players and seven for overseas players. The highest base price is Rs 50 lakh, shared by Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Molineux.
The case that the auction will be competitive and deep starts with the number of players chasing a small number of places. With 146 players registered for 27 slots, only about 18.5 percent of those registered can be picked, and the 119 Indians are chasing 20 slots, a ratio of about six to one. The base prices show a good spread of quality: two players at Rs 50 lakh, four at Rs 40 lakh, 30 at Rs 30 lakh and four at Rs 20 lakh, with the rest at Rs 10 lakh. Among the Rs 40 lakh names are G Kamalini, Kiran Navgire, Jess Jonassen and Heather Graham, a mix of Indian domestic stars and overseas veterans, and the presence of 22 capped Indians suggests that the franchises will find international-level players available.
The case for caution is that the number of places is tiny. The pool is also dominated by uncapped Indians, 97 of the 119, and by players at the lowest price bands, which means that the majority will not be chosen. With only seven overseas slots for 27 overseas players, about 26 percent can be signed, and the six associate-nation players face the longest odds, so the headline number of registrations overstates the opportunity.
The auction matters for women’s cricket in India because the WPL has become the main route to professional contracts, and each slot is a chance for a young player to gain exposure to international stars. For the franchises, the small number of slots and the limited purses mean that every decision counts, and the choice between a capped overseas player and a promising Indian uncapped player will shape their squads for the January season. For the sport, a registration list of 146 shows how wide the base has grown since the league began, and the Kochi auction will show how much the franchises are prepared to pay. The base price list shows how the pool is layered: Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Molineux at Rs 50 lakh, G Kamalini, Kiran Navgire, Jess Jonassen and Heather Graham at Rs 40 lakh, 30 players at Rs 30 lakh and four at Rs 20 lakh. The auction starts at 5:30 p.m. in Kochi, and the five franchises will have to decide quickly because there are only 27 places for 146 names.
The WPL auction offers 27 places to 146 players, so most will go home without a contract. The bidding on October 28 will show where the franchises see their gaps.
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