WPL 2026 Retentions Announced: The excitement is building for the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 as the list of retained players has officially been announced. On Wednesday, November 5, all five franchises – Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Giants (GG), and UP Warriorz (UPW) – confirmed which players they’re keeping ahead of the mega auction.
WPL 2026: Mega Auction Dates and Retention Rules
The WPL 2026 mega auction is expected to take place between November 26 and 29, and ahead of it, the league’s governing council introduced a few strict guidelines for player retentions.
Each franchise could retain up to five players through either direct retention or the Right to Match (RTM) option. The retention price slabs set by the council were INR 3.50 crore, INR 2.50 crore, INR 1.75 crore, INR 1 crore, and INR 50 lakh for the five retained players.
Teams were allowed to keep a maximum of three Indian capped players, two overseas players, or two uncapped Indian players. Depending on how many players were retained, a certain amount was deducted from the team’s auction purse: ₹9.25 crore for five players, ₹8.75 crore for four, ₹7.75 crore for three, ₹6 crore for two, and ₹3.5 crore for one.
It’s also mandatory for any team retaining all five players to include at least one uncapped player, who will receive INR 50 lakh.
Flexibility Similar to IPL
Just like in the IPL, WPL teams have the freedom to pay players more than the set slabs, though any extra amount will be deducted from their purse. Teams retaining four players will get one RTM card, while those with three retentions will have two RTMs available, and so on.
Each franchise will go into the auction with a purse of INR 15 crore.
WPL 2026: Full List of Retained Players
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):
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Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini
Delhi Capitals (DC):
Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Niki Prasad
Gujarat Giants (GG):
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Ash Gardner, Beth Mooney
UP Warriorz (UPW):
Shweta Sehrawat
Team Purses After Retentions
- RCB: ₹6.15 crore
- MI: ₹5.7 crore
- DC: ₹5.7 crore
- UPW: ₹14.5 crore
- GG: ₹9 crore
WPL 2026: Big Names Released Ahead of the Auction
Several star players have been released ahead of the mega auction, including Deepti Sharma, Meg Lanning, Sophie Ecclestone, and Amelia Kerr. All four are expected to attract huge bids when the WPL auction kicks off later this month.
With the retentions now confirmed and the mega auction just around the corner, fans can look forward to a thrilling new chapter in the Women’s Premier League.
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