Kochi, Oct 28 (IANS) Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went on a late spending spree by signing India batter Tejal Hasabnis, South Africa’s left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Chloe Tryon and uncapped batter Vrinda Dinesh in the final accelerated round, as the 2027 Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction came to a close here on Wednesday.
All five franchises completed their squads in what turned out to be a brisk mini auction, with less than an hour of active bidding. Tejal, a member of India’s recent 3-0 ODI series win over Zimbabwe, went unsold in the opening round. In the second accelerated round, she was bought by RCB at her base price of Rs 30 lakh.
RCB then picked Chloe for Rs 30 lakh. The South African all-rounder spent two seasons with Mumbai Indians without playing a match before moving to UP Warriorz. She produced a match-winning display against India in the group stage of last year’s ODI World Cup. Vrinda, who previously played for UP Warriorz, will now play for her home franchise after RCB signed her for Rs 10 lakh.
UPW, meanwhile, brought back leg-spinner Asha Sobhana for her base price of Rs 30 lakh, a steep drop from the Rs 1.1 crore they had paid for her in 2026 auction. The franchise had released her ahead of this auction to free up funds, only to buy her back at a fraction of the cost.
Mumbai Indians added two uncapped players – Shweta Sehrawat, who was UPW’s lone retention in 2026. After going unsold before, Shweta sparked a brief bidding contest between MI and Delhi Capitals before the two-time champions got her for Rs 20 lakh, double her base price. MI also signed all-rounder Akshita Bhagat for Rs 10 lakh.
Akshita had won the U-23 event of WPL Speed Queen with a top speed of 105kph and recently turned out for India A in their series against Australia A in Mohali. Delhi Capitals made their final signing by picking uncapped all-rounder Nazma Khan for Rs 10 lakh, after she had gone unsold earlier in the evening.
Uncapped batters Humaira Kazi and Pranavi Chandra and pacer Shraddha Pokharkar went unsold for the second time, while left-arm wrist-spin bowling all-rounder Amandeep Kaur also failed to attract a bid.
Australia captain Sophie Molineux, who went to UP Warriorz for Rs 1.10 crore, was the most expensive buy of the auction. She was followed by India batter Kiran Navgire, signed by Delhi Capitals for Rs 75 lakh, and wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini, who joined Gujarat Giants for Rs 40 lakh. The 2027 WPL season will be played from January 14 to February 7.
–IANS
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