Predicting the top 3 buys in the first set of batters in WPL 2023 Auction

The highly-anticipated inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction is set to take place in Mumbai on February 13 and a number of world-class players are set to go under the hammer.

With five franchises already announced, rumors and debates have already started among fans about big names who will be snapped up by the franchises. The first set of batters, also known as 'BA1' has some really big names and each one is likely to be picked at a premium by the franchises.

Here are the names in the set:

Tammy Beaumont, Suzie Bates, Tasmin Brits, Sophia Dunkley, Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Laura Wolvaardt.

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On that note, let's try and predict the top three buys from this set in the WPL 2023 auction:

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#3 Meg Lanning

Meg Lanning is arguably one of the most successful cricketers in the history of women's cricket. Having won multiple World Cups across formats, Lanning has shown that she has the mentality of a winner.

She also has captaincy experience and could probably be on the radar of a number of WPL teams.

With former Australian cricketer Rachael Haynes being the head coach of the Gujarat Giants, they could go big to bag Lanning's services. This makes her a strong candidate to be picked up for a premium from the given set.

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#2 Jemimah Rodrigues

Just like in the IPL, Indian players could naturally go at a higher price in the WPL 2023 auction as well. Jemimah Rodrigues, a talented top-order batter, hasn't quite hit top form of late. But that takes nothing away from the fact that she is an exciting talent and an icon of the current Indian team.

Having played domestic cricket for Mumbai, it won't be surprising if Mumbai Indians want to bag Rodrigues' services. MI have had a history of going all-out for the players that they have set their sights on and the WPL auction could be no different.

Rodrigues had already hinted earlier in one of her tweets that she would like to play for MI, making it a possibility that the franchise could break the bank to get their icon player.

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#1 Shafali Verma

Indian opener Shafali Verma is likely to earn the highest paycheck from this set. She was always an explosive talent, but the experience of having played so many big games with the senior team and having won the U19 Women's T20 World Cup would have taken her game to the next level.

It is quite possible that Verma could be a captaincy option for a few franchises and that makes her going at a higher price even more likely. She can be inconsistent at times, but the youngster is a genuine match-winner and could possibly be one of the biggest buys of the auction.