One major weakness that each team needs to solve at WPL 2024 Auction

The WPL 2024 Auction is set to take place on Saturday, December 9, in Mumbai with the five franchises looking to bolster their existing rosters for the second edition of the tournament.

The player retention was announced in November while the auction list for the same was also announced on December 2. Out of the 165 players who will go under the hammer, 104 are Indians while 61 of them are overseas, including 15 players from Associate nations.

With the maximum roster for each team amounting to 18 players inclusive of six overseas cricketers, a maximum of 30 players can be acquired at the WPL 2024 Auction with 60 players retained across the five teams.

A glance at the retentions made by the franchises tell you that they all have an area to address at the auction. Some teams have more issues to solve than their counterparts but it certainly adds a fascinating layer of intrigue even for a mini-auction.

On that note, let's take a look at one major weakness that each team must solve at the WPL 2024 Auction.

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#5 Gujarat Giants - Team balance

To say that the Gujarat Giants have one weakness to sort out at the WPL 2024 Auction would be wrong. Simply because they've gone for a complete overhaul, retaining just eight players from their previous roster having finished rock bottom.

With up to three overseas slots to fill and ₹5.95 crore in their kitty, they need to go about their business smartly to ensure they have a good starting XI and sufficient backups to go with it.

They seem to have a solid top three in Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt, and Harleen Deol with Ashleigh Gardner and Dayalan Hemalatha lending middle-order muscle. To set their balance right, the starting point has to be their fast-bowling department with a couple of gun acquisitions the inevitable requirement for the Giants.

They could do well to look at an Associate player as well, given that their Indian nucleus looks pretty thin and there aren't too many experienced, proven performers in the market at the WPL 2024 Auction.

Bagging an Associate player would allow the Giants to play a fifth overseas player in the XI and lend further wings.

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#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore - A gun all-phase fast-bowler

Having grabbed headlines at the inaugural player auction, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) assembled a star-studded core comprising Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, and Richa Ghosh, apart from Renuka Singh Thakur.

There were too many loopholes in the side, however, given that they spent 75 percent of their purse on these five players alone. Yet, you'd think that RCB are shaping up better ahead of the WPL 2024 Auction, with the development of Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja into India internationals going a long way in that regard.

RCB have three overseas slots to fill themselves and you've got to think one of them will have to go for an outright quick (read Shabnim Ismail). With Thakur not providing early inroads last year, the team struggled considerably and looked lost for ideas on the field.

Adding an overseas quick who can bowl up top and the death could just complete their playing XI, for they already have Thakur who can bowl in the powerplay, and Shreyanka who operates well at the death.

Their batting looks largely settled even as they could do with another Indian backup but a frontline fast-bowler ought to be on top of their shopping list.

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#3 UP Warriorz - a first-XI fast-bowler

The UP Warriorz made it to the Eliminator of WPL 2023 but it was clear as daylight that they were a very spin-heavy unit. So much so that the odd time they had to bring Shabnim Ismail into the playing XI, the destructive Grace Harris had to be left out.

Ismail has now been released with Lauren Bell retained as the overseas seamer. Anjali Sarvani and S Yashasri remain the other pace-bowling options with the former lending left-arm variety and the latter capable of bowling at a decent pace.

The Alyssa Healy-led side must explore more options, however, with Kashvee Gautam, who has been on the radar of the India A side, a capable option. A shrewd move though would be to use the benefit of having an Associate player and snap up Norris, lending a quality pace option while ensuring that the rest of the overseas combination is left unperturbed.

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#2 Delhi Capitals - an Indian middle-order batter

Having topped the table in WPL 2023, the Delhi Capitals (DC) secured a direct berth in the summit clash only to come apart against the Mumbai Indians (MI). A largely complete outfit led by the most decorated captain the sport has seen in Meg Lanning, the Capitals have only three slots to fill at the WPL 2024 Auction.

The release of Norris raised a few eyebrows but it could be an indication that Titas Sadhu getting more game time in the company of Shikha Pandey and Marizanne Kapp. If there happened to be one missing link in the DC side last season, it was that of an additional Indian middle-order batter who could finish the innings.

While they had the hard-hitting Jasia Akhter in their ranks, she wasn't given a game and was even more surprisingly released into the auction pool. It remains to be seen if they've scouted a player out who can plug that loophole in their side, for it would then complete their team and render them title favorites again.

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#1 Mumbai Indians - a backup Indian quick

The Mumbai Indians were so good in the first season of the WPL that you felt they were fielding not eleven but at least thirteen players. And yet, the likes of Amanjot Kaur, Jintimani Kalita, and Humaira Kazi didn't have much to do throughout the tournament.

That's the kind of strength that this team boasts of and the reigning champions look the real deal heading into the WPL 2024 Auction. They have just ₹2.1 crore to spend with a maximum of five slots there to be filled and bargain purchases could become the order of the day.

With Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, and Natalie Sciver-Brunt being the frontline pace bowlers, Kalita and Amanjot also offer capable options. But MI need to have a Plan B in place should one of them run into a bad run of form or injuries come in the way.

A good Indian fast-bowling backup is what Harmanpreet Kaur and company will do well to have in mind while formulating their plans for the WPL 2024 Auction.

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Who do you think will be the most expensive buy at the WPL 2024 Auction? Have your say in the comments section below!