Deepti Sharma plays WPL auction’s match-winning shot

UP Warriorz match Delhi's chase to bag India’s star all-rounder for ₹3.2 crore

- ROSHNI SHEKHAR

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma became the most expensive buy in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction at ₹3.2 crore, and the second-costliest player overall next to only Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB's) record bid of ₹3.4 crore for Smriti Mandhana in the 2023 auction.

Capri Global Holdings’ UP Warriorz (UPW) exercised their ‘right to match’ option, matching a raised bid from Delhi Capitals (DC) of ₹3.2 crore from the base price of ₹50 lakh to buy back Sharma, who was also named Player of the Tournament during India’s maiden ICC Women’s World Cup victory in November.

Close behind Sharma was Reliance Industries backed Mumbai Indians’ (MI’s) bid for New Zealand cricketer Amelia Kerr at ₹3 crore. Starting from a base price of ₹50 lakh, MI and UPW battled fiercely, eventually raising the bid to ₹3 crore for Kerr, a leading wicket keeper last season and a key contributor to MI’s WPL 2025 trophy win.