India, Nov. 27 -- Teams for the 2026 edition of the Women's Premier League began to take shape as the five franchises chalked out their squads at the auction table in New Delhi on Thursday. A total of INR 40.8 crore was spent as the teams secured 67 players from the 277 who went under the hammer at the maiden WPL mega-auction. The day saw fierce bidding, surprise picks and strategic buys, with 23 overseas players finding new homes across the five squads.

India's World Cup-winning hero, Deepti Sharma, who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the home event last month, emerged as the costliest buy at the auction after UP Warriorz re-acquired her using the Right to Match (RTM) card for INR 3.2 crore. She is now the second-highest-pa...