Rana, Poonam, Knight, Tahuhu released ahead of WPL 2025 auction

Sneh Rana, Poonam Yadav, Heather Knight and Lea Tahuhu are among the prominent players released by their respective Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises ahead of the next auction in the lead-up to the 2025 season. The auction is likely to be in early December and the purse has been increased from INR 13.5 crore last season to INR 15 crore this year. Here is how the teams stack up currently.

Delhi Capitals

The biggest name released by Delhi Capitals (DC), the losing finalists in both seasons of the WPL so far, was legspinner Poonam. Once a mainstay of the Indian team across formats, Poonam hasn’t played international cricket since March 2022. She didn’t get a game in the last WPL either.

Apart from Poonam, DC let go of Laura Harris, the Australian power-hitter, and Aparna Mondal and Ashwani Kumari, the two uncapped Indians who warmed the bench last season.

Retained: Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia, Minnu Mani, Sneha Deepthi, Titas Sadhu, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland

Released: Laura Harris, Poonam Yadav, Aparna Mondal, Ashwini Kumari

Purse remaining: INR 2.5 crore

Slots remaining: 4

Gujarat Giants

Gujarat Giants, who finished bottom of the five-team table in both seasons so far, let go of Rana, the allrounder who led them in the first season after captain Beth Mooney left the tournament with an injury, as well as New Zealand’s Tahuhu and Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce.

Rana’ last white-ball game for India was in December 2023, her last T20I in February 2023. She has had a rough time at the WPL, too. In 12 matches across two seasons, she took only six wickets at an economy of 9.02 and scored 47 runs at an average of 6.71.

Tahuhu, a veteran of the game, wasn’t one of Giants’ preferred overseas players in 2024, playing just two games in the season for one wicket at an economy of 7.60. Bryce played all eight games, averaged 20.75 with the bat and had an economy rate of 8.66 with the ball.

GG also released Lauren Cheatle, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy and Tarannum Pathan, and will have the biggest purse (INR 4.40 crore) going into the auction.

Retained: Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Tanuja Kanwar, Shabnam Shakil, Priya Mishra, Trisha Poojitha, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh

Released: Lea Tahuhu, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan, Lauren Cheatle

Purse remaining: INR 4.4 crore

Slots remaining: 4

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians retained their strong core of international stars including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail. The only overseas player they released was England fast bowler Issy Wong. Apart from her, they let go of Fatima Jaffer, Humaira Kazi and Priyanka Bala.

Retained: Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Mathews, Jintimani Kalita, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Saika Ishaq, Shabnim Ismail, Yastika Bhatia

Released: Issy Wong, Fatima Jaffer, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala

Purse remaining: INR 2.65 crore

Slots remaining: 4

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

England captain Knight, who had pulled out of the 2024 season due to international duty, was released by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They released six other players, including South Africa allrounder Nadine de Klerk who came in as Knight’s replacement last season. Among Indians, Shubha Satheesh, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Simran Bahadur and Shraddha Pokarkar were let go of.

Retained: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sabbineni Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Wareham, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kanika Ahuja, Kate Cross, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (traded from UPW)

Released: Heather Knight, Nadine de Klerk, Shubha Satheesh, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Simran Bahadur, Shraddha Pokharkar

Purse remaining: INR 3.25 crore

Slots remaining: 4

UP Warriorz

UP Warriorz (UPW), who made the playoffs after finishing third on the table in the first season but only finished No. 4 in 2024, released legspinner Parshavi Chopra and wicketkeeper Laxmi Yadav, who was added to the squad as an injury replacement for Uma Chetry, seamer S Yashasri and England fast bowler Lauren Bell. Chetry remains part of the squad. UPW had earlier traded Danni Wyatt-Hodge to RCB.

Retained: Alyssa Healy, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Anjali Sarvani, Gouher Sultana, Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry, Vrinda Dinesh

Released: Parshavi Chopra, Laxmi Yadav, S Yashasri, Lauren Bell

Purse remaining: INR 3.90 crore

Slots remaining: 3