5 most expensive Indian signings at WPL auction 2023

The historic Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction took place at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. It was an intriguing affair with plenty of big names going under the hammer and fetching some eye-catching bids.

Despite the presence of some star overseas players, the Indian players received plenty of huge bids, with franchises recognizing the importance of Indian players in building their XI.

On that note, let's look at the five most expensive Indian signings at the WPL auction 2023.

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#5 Pooja Vastrakar (Mumbai Indians) and Richa Ghosh (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - ₹1.90 crores

Richa Ghosh vs New Zealand - February 2022

It's a tie for the fifth-highest bid received for an Indian player at the auction, with both wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh and all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar receiving huge bids to the tune of ₹1.90 crores.

RCB added to the firepower in their batting lineup by getting aggressive wicket-keeper batter Richa in their squad. She further bolsters their already strong Indian contingent of Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh. Ghosh joins Smriti, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Devine in forming a solid top order.

Meanwhile, seam-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar made her way into the Mumbai Indians roster. A key player in the current Indian side, Vastrakar is someone who can bowl genuine pace and is also a hard-hitting lower-order batter.

MI seems to be building a team of all-rounders and Pooja will fit in very well with the likes of Nat Sciver, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Amelia Kerr.

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#4 Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals) - ₹2 crores

Shafali Verma could set the WPL on fire with her aggressive stroke-making.

Dashing young opener and U-19 World Cup-winning captain Shafali Verma was one of the players earmarked to attract huge bids and that she did, earning a payday of ₹2 crores from the Delhi Capitals.

The Capitals didn't sign anyone from the first two marquee sets, opting to save their money for later ones. That strategy paid off as they added Shafali Verma to a batting order that already contained Jemimah Rodrigues and Meg Lanning! Shafali needs no introduction and if she's good at just 19 years old, one can only imagine the player she will become over the next few years.

This is easily one of the best purchases at the auction and it will be exciting to see Shafali bat at the top of a strong batting lineup.

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#3 Jemimah Rodrigues (Delhi Capitals) - ₹2.20 crores

Jemimah Rodrigues will bat alongside Shafali Verma in a star-studded DC lineup.

One of India's most talented batters, Jemimah Rodrigues has made a solid comeback after the ODI World Cup snub. With her match-winning knock against Pakistan yesterday still fresh in everyone's minds, there was no surprise when she attracted plenty of bids.

The Delhi Capitals were keen on her right from the onset but so were the Lucknow Warriorz. The bidding slowly escalated before the Capitals outbid the Warriorz, securing Jemimah's services for ₹2.20 crores. She will bat alongside Shafali Verma and Australia captain Meg Lanning in what is a powerhouse top order.

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#2 Deepti Sharma (Lucknow Warriorz) - ₹2.60 crores

Deepti Sharma is a genuine contender for the MVP award this season.

The Lucknow Warriorz signed hometown hero Deepti Sharma for a whopping ₹2.60 crores at the auction. Deepti is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket, equally capable with both the bat and ball and an excellent captaincy option for the Warriorz.

An off-spinner with a good understanding of the game, and plenty of experience and knowledge of the Indian wickets, Deepti was the first name in the second set of marquee players and plenty of sides went out to secure her services. However, it was the UP Warriorz who had the winning bid after a prolonged bidding war with the Mumbai Indians.

Expect her to be one of the contenders for the MVP award this season.

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#1 Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - ₹3.40 crores

Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player at the auction

One of the superstars of women's cricket, RCB understandably went after Smriti Mandhana hard at the auction table. They roped her in for a huge sum of ₹3.40 crores, making her the most expensive player at the auction. The elegant stroke-maker is arguably India's most important player and should be the most sought-after Indian star in the WPL for years to come.

With more than 100 T20I caps and 20 half-centuries to her name, Smriti is one of the most experienced Indian batters despite being only 26 years old. She's certainly a captaincy candidate for the side, having led the Trailblazers in the Women's T20 challenge.

Smriti should make the already popular RCB side a well-supported franchise, drawing in plenty of supporters. She should light up the season with her batting and will undoubtedly be a player everyone has their eyes on.