One surprise retention from each team ahead of WPL 2025 Auction ft. RCB & Kate Cross

The list of retained and released players by each Women's Premier League (WPL) team is out ahead of the player auction for the 2025 season. While some retentions and releases were along expected lines, each team made some surprising calls as well.

Top Indian players such as Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues among others have been retained by their respective WPL franchises.

Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were among the teams to retain a large group of their players ahead of the 2025 season.

However, some players, who were expected to be released ahead of the 2025 season auction, have surprisingly been retained by their respective teams.

That said, here is one surprise retention from each team ahead of the WPL 2025 auction.

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One surprise retention from each team ahead of WPL 2025 Auction

Mumbai Indians - Chloe Tryon

Mumbai Indians retained South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon ahead of the 2025 auction. Interestingly, she did not play a single game last season and spent all the time on the bench. Therefore, Tryon was expected to be released by the Mumbai Indians.

Surprisingly, Mumbai let go of Issy Wong, who picked up 18 wickets for them in 12 matches, and instead, decided to retain Chloe Tryon who has not played a single game for them so far.

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Delhi Capitals - Sneha Deepthi

Delhi Capitals made a surprise retention of Indian batter Sneha Deepthi. She was bought by them during the inaugural WPL auction for INR 30 lakh but did not play a single game for them.

Moreover, Sneha Deepthi did not feature in a single game for the Delhi Capitals in the 2024 season as well. While she has impressed with the bat in domestic tournaments in the past, her retention comes as a surprise given the fact that she has not played a single WPL game in two seasons.

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Kate Cross

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, defending champions of the WPL, have retained their core squad ahead of the 2025 auction. However, one surprising retention from the side comes in the form of Kate Cross.

The English pacer was roped in by RCB ahead of the 2024 season. However, she did not play a single game for them in their title-winning season and was on the bench throughout.

Therefore, it was expected that the defending champions would let go of Cross. However, they have chosen to retain the experienced English pacer.

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UP Warriorz - Gouher Sultana

With the likes of Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Anjali Sarvani already present, it was anticipated that left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana would be released by the UP Warriorz.

Despite her experience at the international level, her performances have not been noteworthy in the limited opportunities she has gotten in the WPL. Last season, she played two games but did not pick up a single wicket and was also expensive with an economy rate of 8.80.

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Gujarat Giants - Mannat Kashyap

The Gujarat Giants secured left-arm spin all-rounder Mannat Kashyap for INR 10 lakh at the auction for the second season. While she managed to play five matches, she did not find much success with the ball.

Mannat Kashyap grabbed just a solitary wicket with an average of 83, a strike rate of 61, and an economy rate of 8.16.

However, she has been retained by the Gujarat Giants ahead of the 2025 season auction.