WPL Auction 2025 Highlights: Simran Shaikh to GG for Rs 1.9 crore, TN teen Kamalini goes to MI for Rs 1.6 crore as uncapped Indians get big bids

When she was a budding cricketer, neighbours of Dharavi resident Simran Shaikh discouraged her father from allowing her to play the sport saying ‘yeh ladki, ladkon ke sath khelti’ (She plays with boys).” On Sunday evening, those very same people made a beeline to her ramshackle tiny home in Asia’s biggest slum to congratulate her father Jahid Ali, a wireman as Simran was bought by Gujarat Giants for Rs 1.90 crore at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction held in Bengaluru.

“I have no words to express my joy. Till last night I was just hoping to just get picked by one of the teams. I have been getting non-stop calls since Gujarat Giants bought me at the auction. There were times when it was a struggle to buy a basic cricket kit. But whatever I have got is because of cricket and I will work harder than before,” Simran Shaikh told The Indian Express from Ahmedabad, where she is representing Mumbai in the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy.

Read more here.

UP Warriorz coach Jon Lewis: “We are very happy with our picks at the Auction. The UP Warriorz have of course maintained the core, and there is a healthy mix of the exuberance of youth and priceless experience, and now it’s all about coming together playing out our roles properly. I am looking forward to getting back with the team soon and begin preparations for the season.”

UPW signed up Australian all-rounder Alana King (INR 30 Lakh), the uncapped Delhi batter Arushi Goel (INR 10 Lakh) and the uncapped fast bowler Kranti Goud (INR 10 Lakh) from Madhya Pradesh, to complete their squad of 18 for WPL Season 3. 

Mumbai Indians full squad

UP Warriorz full squad 

Delhi Capitals full squad

Gujarat Giants full squad 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru full squad

Anjum Chopra on Gujarat Giants acquiring Simran Shaikh for Rs1.90 Cr:

"Simran is part of the Mumbai T20 squad that recently won the National Championship. Previously, she was with the UP Warriorz. Although her numbers weren't great last season, it's her experience that sets her apart. Her strike rate, which is close to 130, is excellent because she bats in the middle order. Regardless of the situation, she can hit those big shots. She's also an excellent fielder, which is a significant advantage. While she didn’t score many runs in the WPL last season, she had a strong domestic season. All these factors make her a valuable addition to the Gujarat Giants' team."

DC's Sourav Ganguly: We wanted either Kamalini or Simran or Nandini. We got Nandini for so cheap. To get her for Rs 10 lakh is unbelievable. I thought Nandini was No 1 in the list and we didn't expect to get her that easily. 

And that's the end of the auction. All teams have filled up the 18 slots, and RCB, DC and UPW do so with a fair amount of money left in their purse.

Prakashika Naik up next and she goes to GG at Rs 10 lakh. 

Looks like teams are just naming names now. 

Danielle Gibson goes to GG for Rs 30 lakh. 

Anusha Sundaresan, UNSOLD. 

Indrani Roy, once so highly rated, up next: UNSOLD 

Simran Bahadur, released by RCB, goes UNSOLD. 

Preeti Bose, another late addition, goes UNSOLD. 

Akshita Maheshwari, with base price Rs 20 lakh interestingly, goes to Mumbai Indians. 

Shipra Giri: UNSOLD 

Parunika Sisodia's name comes back up. UNSOLD again. 

Hani Patel: UNSOLD 

U19 captain Niki Prasad is back up on the stage. And Delhi Capitals take her for base price at Rs 10 lakh. Their table seems happy with that too.

Jagravi Pawar goes to RCB for Rs 10 lakh, they seem quite pleased. 

Pratika Rawal goes UNSOLD. 

Raghvi Bist does find a bid. RCB pick her up for base price Rs 10 lakh. Will she make her debut against WI?  

However, Humairaa Kaazi is UNSOLD. 

SNEH RANA GOES UNSOLD AGAIN.

Alana King. Perhaps the player UPW were looking for? They fill up their overseas slots with the Aussie legspinner. 

Alana King will play in the WPL after all. Rs 30 lakh. 

Oh, we do have a Heather. But it is the Aussie allrounder Graham, not England captain Knight. And she too is UNSOLD.

What are the teams doing here? 

Lauren Bell at base price Rs 30 lakh comes back for bidding. UNSOLD. 

Right, we are back for what should be the last phase of the auction. 

Young and exceptionally talented all-rounder from Uttarakhand, Prema Rawat is #NowARoyalChallenger! ?

Having showcased her spin mastery in the Women’s Uttarakhand Premier T20 League, she is now ready to #PlayBold for Bengaluru! ?#????RCB #SheIsBold #WPLAuction #WPL2025 pic.twitter.com/lCUmePNTup

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) December 15, 2024

Among the unsold names so far, perhaps we will see these names again? Our guess: Lizelle Lee, Kim Garth, Orla Prendergast, Lauren Bell and Heather Knight among overseas players. And Sneh Rana, Tanisha Singh, Raghvi Bist, S Yashasri perhaps among the Indian names. 

There is still a fair amount of money left for three out of the five franchises. And 7 players could still find bids. 

On Star Sports: Very happy, as the bids kept getting big, there was a lot of excitement. Didn't expect such a high price. I have to pay it back to the franchise as well now. Will give my 200%. 

UP still have so much money left! Wonder who they are saving it for. RCB, DC and MI have filled up their overseas slots.

The teams must now submit two more names as we head into a 5-minute break. 

Komalpreet Kour: UNSOLD

Shanu Sen: UNSOLD 

Anusha Sundaresan: UNSOLD 

DC have got two superb wicketkeeping additions! Sarah Bryce, the Scottish star, goes to DC for Rs 10 lakh.

And as an associate player she can play in the XI as the 5th overseas option. 

Sarah Bryce, Scotland's wicketkeeper up next. Surely DC will be interested? 

The talented Tess Flintoff finds no takers. UNSOLD. 

Tanusree Sarkar, goes UNSOLD. 

Prakashika Naik, also UNSOLD. 

Joshitha VJ, who is part of the U19 team at the Asia Cup, goes to RCB for Rs 10 lakh. 

An allrounder who bowls medium pace... good addition to the RCB squad! 

Shivani Singh goes UNSOLD. 

Parunika Sisodia, rated highly in the domestic circuit, goes UNSOLD. 

Sanskriti Gupta... about to go UNSOLD. But MI come with a late bid for Rs 10 lakh. Offspinner, left-hand batter. 

UPW get another uncapped player, pacer Kranti Goud goes to them for RS 10 lakh. 

Thank goodness, finally a bid. Arushi Goel goes to UPW for Rs 10 lakh. 

Milly Illingworth UNSOLD. 

Ashwani Kumari, who was released by DC, goes UNSOLD. 

Niki Prasad, captain of the U19 team currently, goes UNSOLD. 

Rima Ekka, also UNSOLD. 

Wicketkeeper batter Priyanka Bala also goes UNSOLD. 

B Amisha also UNSOLD. Wonder why the teams gave out these names for this round then. Always a baffling phase of the auction. 

The explosive Lizelle Lee goes UNSOLD. She played a stunning knock in the WPL and her wicketkeeping could have been handy. 

World Cup winner Rosemary Mair also goes UNSOLD. 

The auction resumes. The first player to come up is Mansi Joshi and the India international goes UNSOLD 

Those who doesn't know Prema Rawat . She is a leggie from Uttarakhand who can bat in lower order. pic.twitter.com/7y91P1OX8Z

— Prajin (@wcriccrazeprajn) December 15, 2024

GG have been the big spenders so far. RCB too still have quite a solid purse left given they don't have any overseal slot left. UPW might be the busiest team in the next phase.

GG Head coach Michael Klinger: I saw Dottin in the WBBL and she was impressive, and played well at the World Cup too for West Indies. (On Simran) We have been watching the local competitions closely and she stepped up in terms of strike rate, to have someone we can put in the top 6 or 7 with her six-hitting abilities is something we were looking for. These two are the players we targetted in the first two sets for the power and strike rate. 

#WPLAuction

44* off 29 balls against Pakistan U19 in the morning.
A Rs 1.6 crore bid from Mumbai Indians shortly after.

What a day for Tamil Nadu teenager Kamalini ?

Read more about her here by @venkatatweets: https://t.co/0OVSFV2Ako

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) December 15, 2024

Here's a glimpse of Kamalini's skills, she just played a brilliant knock in the U19 Asia Cup against Pakistan. 

The Kamilini show ?? ?

Pakistan didn't know what hit them as #TeamIndia cruised to victory in their #ACCWomensU19AsiaCup opener ?#SonySportsNetwork #NewHomeOfAsiaCup #NextGenBlue #INDvPAK

[India vs Pakistan, Women's Asia Cup, T20 Cricket] pic.twitter.com/F3ms3d3pBo

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 15, 2024

We have a 30 minute break. 

After this accelerated auction. 

Laura Harris and Fatima Jaffer UNSOLD. 

Both players were in the league last year, with DC and MI respectively. 

We now have a break. 

N Charani goes to DC for Rs 55 lakh.

N Charani up next and she is getting interest from both MI and DC. 

Defending champions make their first signing. Uttarakhand's Prema Rawat goes to RCB for Rs 1.20 crore.

Prema Rawat from Uttarakhand next up. And the 23-year-old spin-bowling allrounder is getting serious attention. 

RCB vs DC, just like last year's final. 

S Yashasri is UNSOLD. Is capable of hitting good pace, impressed in flashes for UPW. 

Pratika Rawal, who has been called up for the ODI squad for WI, also goes UNSOLD. 

Ira Jadhav, just 14, doesn't find a bid either. UNSOLD. 

If you are wondering who is Kamalini, bought by Mumbai Indians for INR 1.60 Cr, then here is everything you need to know about the 16-year-old. Tracking her journey from Madurai to Mumbai Indians. https://t.co/JW7OAbYeus via @IndianExpress

— Venkata Krishna B (@venkatatweets) December 15, 2024

Humairaa Kaazi is a bit surprisingly unsold. 

Raghvi Bist, who is also in the WI squad for the T20Is that start tonight, is UNSOLD.