Predicting the top 3 buys in the first marquee set of WPL 2023 auction

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction ahead of the inaugural edition of the competition will take place in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. As many as 1525 players registered for the auction, after which the final list was pruned to 409.

Out of the 409 cricketers who have registered for the WPL auction, 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players. In all, the auction will feature 202 capped players, 199 uncapped players, and eight from the associate nations. A maximum of 90 slots can be filled by the five teams combined, with 30 of them being for overseas cricketers.

The highest reserve price for the WPL auction is ₹50 lakh and 24 players have registered their names in the highest price bracket. Thirty players have put up their names for auction at a base price of ₹40 lakh.

The WPL auction will kick off with the first marquee set of players, which features seven big names. In this feature, we predict the top three buys in the first marquee set of the WPL 2023 auction.

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#1 Harmanpreet Kaur - India

India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Pic: Getty Images

India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur is expected to be one of the top draws at the inaugural WPL auction. She has listed her name in the highest price bracket of ₹50 lakh. Harmanpreet is one of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball among the modern generation of women cricketers.

The 33-year-old has the ability to single-handedly win games for the team with her power-hitting. In 146 T20Is, she has smashed 2940 runs, with one hundred and nine fifties. Harmanpreet also has over 3300 runs to her name from 124 ODIs, averaging 38.18, with five hundreds and 17 half-centuries.

Harmanpreet is also a useful off-spinner who can chip in with a few handy overs. She has 32 wickets to her name in T20Is and 31 in ODIs. She is also a safe fielder, making her a complete package offering for the WPL franchises.

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#2 Ashleigh Gardner - Australia

Aussie all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner. Pic: Getty Images

Ashleigh Gardner is the top-ranked all-rounder in the updated ICC Women’s T20I player rankings. She has 424 points and a significant lead over second-placed Deepti Sharma (406) of India. The versatile 25-year-old cricketer was the Player of the Series as Australia Women hammered India Women 4-1 in an away series.

Gardner contributed 115 runs with the bat and claimed seven wickets with her off-spin. The all-rounder was outstanding in the last two matches of the series. She smashed 42 off 27 with the willow and claimed 2/20 with the ball in the fourth game.

The Aussie all-rounder continued her domination over India Women in the final T20I of the series as well, clobbering an unbeaten 66 off 32 and claiming another two-wicket haul.

Gardner, who has also listed her name for the WPL auction at a base price of ₹50 lakh, has played 67 T20Is for Australia, in which she has scored 1066, with six half-centuries. She also has 43 scalps to her name at an average of 20.97. Gardner also has 58 wickets in ODIs to go with four half-centuries in the 50-over format.

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#3 Sophie Devine - New Zealand

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine. Pic: Getty Images

New Zealand star Sophie Devine is at No. 3 in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings for all-rounders. The veteran cricketer, who made her international debut back in 2006, is among the biggest names on the women’s circuit. She was named captain of the ICC Women’s T20I team of 2022 for scoring 389 runs and claiming 13 wickets.

The 33-year-old has the experience of 115 T20Is in which she has scored 2950, with one hundred and 17 fifties to her name. On the bowling front, the medium pacer has 110 wickets at an average of 17.45 and an economy rate of 6.34. Devine has also scored over 3330 runs in ODIs, apart from picking up 89 scalps in the format.

Having recovered from a foot injury, she is all set to lead New Zealand Women in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. With a base price of ₹50 lakh for the WPL 2023 auction, expect Devine to be in high demand when players go under the hammer.

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