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The third edition of the highly successful Women's Premier League (WPL) is fast approaching with the action potentially only three months away. However, before that, the teams must get through the crucial strategizing aspect, starting with the retentions.
While the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the title in the first two WPL editions, Delhi Capitals (DC) finished runners-up both times. Meanwhile, the UP Warriorz (UPW) and Gujarat Giants (GG) have had little to cheer about in both seasons.
With the teams expected to submit their list of retained players on November 7, the focus shifts to the possibility of some key names being released from the squads. The releases could include a few capped Indian players who did not fit the franchise's plans and therefore under-utilized or underperformed in WPL 2024.
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On that note, we predict one top Indian player who can be released by each of the five WPL 2024 teams ahead of the 2025 mini-auction.
#1 Ekta Bisht- RCB
Bengaluru fans finally had something to cheer about earlier this year when the RCB Women broke the trophy jinx and won the WPL 2024 title. Yet, the season wasn't all smooth sailing and a few players struggled to produce performances up to their abilities.
One such was left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht - a virtual non-factor in RCB's magical run. The veteran bowled only four overs and conceded 41 runs at an economy of over 10 in the two games she played.
At 38 and well past her prime, it is unlikely RCB will retain Bisht despite her being a player with over 100 matches of experience for India across formats.
#2 Taniya Bhatia - DC
Wicketkeeper-batter Taniya Bhatia hardly played a role in DC's second consecutive final run in WPL 2024. While she was relatively safe behind the wickets, the 26-year-old faced only two balls in the tournament and scored no runs.
While DC did not lose too many wickets in several matches, Bhatia kept getting pushed down the order circumstantially to the point where she batted at No.11 in the final against RCB. She certainly didn't help her cause by being dismissed for a first-ball duck as DC once again fell short of ultimate glory in the final step.
Despite being a six-year veteran in international cricket, representing India in all three formats over 72 games, Bhatia is likely to be released by DC ahead of the 2025 season.
#3 Amanjot Kaur - MI
MI might be the one team that struggles to release any capped Indian player from their squad, given none of them had glaringly poor seasons.
Yet, 24-year-old batting all-rounder Amanjot Kaur could be hard done by, even if MI struggled to find the ideal role for her in WPL 2024. The right-hander faced only 44 deliveries and scored 57 runs at a strike rate of 129.54.
Her right-arm medium bowling also was largely underused as she bowled only two overs for 15 runs in nine outings. After their title run in 2023, MI missed out on a final berth last season and the result could have a bearing on their retentions and releases, with Kaur falling in the latter.
The youngster has played 12 T20Is and 6 ODIs for India and has enjoyed relative success with bat and ball.
#4 Gouher Sultana - UPW
Another Indian veteran who could be released ahead of the WPL 2025 auction is left-arm spinner, Gouher Sultana.
While her international career has been all but over for the past decade, UPW still invested in the 36-year-old last season. However, Sultana struggled in the two matches she played, picking up no wickets and going at an economy of 8.80.
Even with 87 white-ball games of experience for India, UPW will likely move on from Sultana for the upcoming WPL season.
#5 Meghna Singh - GG
GG has been on an island when it comes to the opening two WPL seasons, finishing at the bottom on both occasions. Most of their renowned international players - Indian and overseas have massively underperformed, including medium-pacer Meghna Singh.
Despite playing in all eight games for GG in WPL 2024, the 30-year-old struggled, picking up only 5 wickets at an average of over 48 and an economy of 10.08. For someone who has played in all three formats for India and played an ODI as recently as last year, Meghna's lack of production hurt GG massively as they won just two out of their eight matches.
With several releases expected ahead of the mini-auction, Meghna Singh will likely find herself part of the uncherished list.
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