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Kate Cross & Shabnim Ismail (Source: Twitter)
The Women's Premier League (WPL) auction for the 2024 season ended successfully with some exciting off-field battle between the franchises around the table. A total of 165 players had registered their names for the auction, but only 30 slots were available for five franchises, which were filled by the end of the event.
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There were some surprise exclusions, surprise expensive bids and top steal deals. Chamari Athapaththu and Deandra Dottin were among the biggest names that went unsold. Kashvee Gautam (Gujarat Giants) and Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland (Delhi Capitals) got the biggest deals of the day as they were signed for a whopping ₹2 crore each. Kashvee's base price of ₹10 lakhs climbed up when UP Warriorz (UPW) joined the bidding war with Gujarat Giants (GG).
In this article, we take a look at the top 5 steel deals from the WPL 2024 auction.
5. Veda Krishnamurthy (Gujrat Giants) INR 30 lakhs
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Gujarat Giants (GG) bought seasoned Indian campaigner Veda Krishnamurthy at her base price Rs. 30 lakh in the accelerator round of the auction. Notably, she went unsold in the inaugural season. The 31-year-old all-rounder can bring her international experience to bolster GG's line-up for the 2024 IPL.
4. Georgia Wareham (Royal Challengers Bangalore) INR 40 lakhs
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Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham was RCB's first pick of the day. Signing her at a base price of Rs 40 lakh was a huge deal for the franchise. Wareham can bring her international experience to bolster their spin attack and can also contribute with the bat in the lower middle order.
3. Danielle Wyatt (UP Warriorz) - INR 30 lakhs
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For Rs. 30 lakhs, England's Danielle Wyatt is a great signing by UP Warriorz. The opening bater has played 150 T20I matches and has scored 2602 runs at an average of 22.23 and a strike rate of 127.42. She was also impressive in the first T20I of the ongoing series against India, scoring 75 off 47 ball. The 32-year-old can also contribute with her bowling skills.
2. Shabnim Ismail (Mumbai Indians) INR 1.2 Crores
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After a fierce battle between RCB and GG, Mumbai Indians (MI) managed to land the South African fast bowler for Rs 1.2 crore. MI came into the auction with the intention of strengthening their bowling line-up and secured the services of the World No. 2 ODI bowler. Ismail was also impressive in the recently concluded WBBL 2023 representing Hobart Hurricanes, taking 13 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 6.22.
1. Kate cross (Royal Challgengers Bangalore) INR 30 lakhs
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The English cricketer was expected to fetch a good amount in the auction but she was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs. 30 lakhs. The 32-year-old pacer has extensive experience playing in the Women's Big Bash League and The Hundred Women. She grabbed 10 wickets in as many games for the Northern Superchargers in the last edition of The Hundred. Coming to international level, Cross has scalped 11 wickets in 16 T20Is. She has also picked up 79 and 24 wickets in 59 ODIs and seven Tests, respectively.