Most Expensive Buys in WPL 2023 Auction: Top Ten Expensive Buys and their Price Tags

The inaugural auction for the Women's Premier League has taken place on Monday (February 13).

Five teams have fought it out in the auction table, conducted by Mallika Sagar, in the bid to form a strong squad ahead of the inaugural season of the WPL.

The WPL season starts on March 4 and all matches of the first season will be played in Mumbai.

There were some big names who went under the hammer and teams splashed a considerable amount of money to complete their signings. India's premier batter Smriti Mandhana was the first buy of the historic auction, and also the most expensive buy as she went to Royal Challengers Bangalore for a monumental INR 3.4 crore.

The five teams had their share of big signings. Here is the list of the top Ten most expensive buys in the WPL auction-

1. Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore); INR 3.4 crore -

Smriti Mandhana was tipped to be one of the most expensive players. But RCB broke the bank for her as the southpaw went for a massive sum of INR 3.4 crore.

2. Natalie Sciver (Mumbai Indians); INR 3.2 crore-

English all-rounder Natalie Sciver is the joint-most expensive overseas player in the auction. Sciver went to Mumbai Indians for a whopping 3.2 crore.

2. Ashleigh Gardner (Gujarat Giants); INR 3.2 crore-

Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was sold to Gujarat Giants for the above-mentioned sum. The 25-year-old is an aggressive batter who can bowl decent off-break.

4. Deepti Sharma (UP Warriorz); INR 2.6 crore-

India's own all-round prodigy Deepti Sharma was the biggest pick for UP Warriorz, who signed her for 2.6 crore. It was a bidding war between UP and MI, but the former managed to prevail in the end.

5. Jemimah Rodrigues (Delhi Capitals); INR 2.2 crore-

After a quite period in the Marquee list, Delhi Capitals made Jemimah Rodrigues their first signing. The 22-year-old will be donning the DC colours in the coming season.

6. Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals); INR 2 crore-

Shafali Verma, India's pocket-size powerhouse will be playing for DC in the WPL. Verma led India to the U19 T20 World Cup win recently.

7. Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants); INR 2 crore-

Gujarat Giants managed to add the legendary Aussie batter Beth Mooney in their ranks. It is undoubtedly going to be a big signing for the Giants.

8. Richa Ghosh (Royal Challengers Bangalore); INR 1.9 crore-

Richa Ghosh, another Indian player who was part of the U19 T20 World Cup winning team, was sold to RCB.

9. Pooja Vastrakar (Mumbai Indians); INR 1.9 crore-

Pooja Vastrakar has also got herself a gigantic deal as she will play for MI in the Women's Premier League.

10. Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz); INR 1.8 crore-

English all-rounder Sophie Ecclestone completes the list. She was bought by UP Warriorz for 1.8 crore, making her the 4th most expensive overseas player in the auction.