With more than 150 cricketers competing for less than 30 spots in the five Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises at the WPL 2027 Auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is mulling to make structural changes to the tournament from WPL 2028.
The BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia revealed the board’s expansion plans, thanks to the growing domestic talent base in women’s cricket. Interestingly, the WPL was inaugurated in 2023 with five teams, and it has remained unchanged since then.
“There are about 150 players in the fray and hardly 25-27 could be accommodated. Many talented players were left out. So, we can clearly see that five teams are too few compared to the growing pool of women cricketers.” Saikia said, as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Expanding the league by one or two franchises, potentially alongside an increase in player budgets for existing teams, would provide more cricketers with opportunities to gain exposure and valuable competitive experience at the franchise level. Saikia also credited the WPL for playing a significant role in India’s rise as a dominant force in women’s cricket.
“If you look at the journey over the last four years, we have come a long way. Today, India are among the dominant forces in women’s cricket, and the WPL has contributed significantly to that success,” Saikia added.
The 2027 season is scheduled to take place from January 14 to February 7.
WPL 2027: Full squads after mini-auction
Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Shafali Verma, Marzianne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Sree Charani, Deeya Yadav, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani, Annabel Sutherland, Kiran Navgire, Uma Kashvi, Kirstie Gordon, Nazma Khan.
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner (c), Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jintimani Kalita, G. Kamalini, Orla Prendergast, Samaira Raghav.
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tara Norris, Disha Kasat, Bharti Rawal, Latika Inamdar, Akshita Bhagar, Shweta Sehrawat, Saanika Chalke.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Ellyse Perry, Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Jess Jonassen, Tejal Hasabnis, Sayali Satghare, Chloe Tryon, Prema Rawat, Vrinda Dinesh, Kumar Prathyoosha.
UP Warriorz: Meg Lanning (c), Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Pratika Rawal, Sophie Molineux, Grace Harris, Sushma Verma (wk), Sneh Rana, Sahana Pawar, Manali Dakshini, Kathryn Bryce, Asha Sobhana.
