WPL Auction takeaways: MI get their speed fix, big payday for couple of uncapped Indians, no takers for Chamari Athapaththu

Vrinda, the 23-year-old right-handed batter who plays for Karnataka, has a reputation of being a big hitter at the top. Kashvee, the 20-year seam-bowling allrounder, shot to the limelight in 2020 when she picked up all 10 wickets in a domestic U19 One-Dayer. While both have been around for a while, the chance to make a mark in the India A setup has certainly helped in their big WPL payday. In the three-match series against England A recently, both passed eye tests without setting the stage on fire, and sometimes that is all it takes.

MI remain Aussie-free

It’s early days in the WPL but the defining trend has been teams going big for Australian players. Unsurprisingly too, given how dominant the Aussies have been in the women’s game. But Mumbai Indians were the only team who bucked that in the opening season, signing up just Heather Graham who was then released without a game. This time they have gone one step further by completing their overseas quota without a single Australian as they brought in South African star Shabnim Ismail. The pacer, who is arguably the quickest in the game, didn’t feature much for UP last season but should slot into the XI right away and significantly strengthen their bowling depth. They did go hard for Sutherland but in Ismail, have a retired international who will be hungry to show her class. No wonder that paddle went up so fast when her name was being read out.

“The extra pace is something that we wanted. She is one of those players who brings a lot to the group. I’m really excited about having her on board,” coach Charlotte Edwards said later. “Shabnim is the fastest bowler currently in women’s cricket. She has vast amounts of experience, we wanted an out and out pacer. She is also somebody who can mentor our young crop of fast bowlers like Jintimani Kalita and Pooja Vastrakar, who can learn a lot from her,” bowling coach Jhulan Goswami added.

DC’s big bid for Annabel Sutherland

The day’s most expensive overseas bid went to Annabel Sutherland. The Aussie seam-bowling allrounder played for Gujarat Giants in the opening season but didn’t quite light up the league and was released. Her quality is undoubted and she has been in better form in recent months but for a side that already has two overseas allrounders in Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen, it seems like a big punt. It is worth noting that Sutherland played for Melbourne Stars in the WBBL where DC coach Jonathan Batty and captain Meg Lanning were in charge and perhaps have seen something in her that could add to the well-rounded DC setup.

The Chamari Athapaththu puzzle

While the headlines belong to the players who found a bit, for the second consecutive edition WPL will not see the fireworks from Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu’s bat. The left-handed batter has been in fine form recently for Sri Lanka, and also lighting up the WBBL after getting picked up later. While it was a bigger surprise to see no team going for her in the first WPL auction, perhaps the events on Saturday could be put down to auction dynamics. Athapaththu had entered the auction as an allrounder and the first set was for batters. Of the 9 overseas players who got bids, only two were out-and-out batters in Phoebe Litchfield and Danni Wyatt and both of them got picked up in the first set. Unfortunately, the league will miss someone of her quality but that’s sometimes how the paddles go.