WPL 2024 Auction: From Kashvee Gautam to Vrinda Dinesh, Indians who earned a massive payday

Dec 10, 2023 - 09:30

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WPL 2024 Auction: From Kashvee Gautam to Vrinda Dinesh, Indians who earned a massive payday

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 player auction that took place in Mumbai on Saturday witnessed records being broken, especially among the uncapped players. All-rounder Kashvee Gautam became the most expensive uncapped player when she was acquired by Gujarat Giants for Rs 2 crore, and having said that, she wasn’t the only one who would go for big money.

Vrinda Dinesh also went for big bucks after she was snapped up by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.30 crore.

WPL 2024 Auction: Top signings, full list of players sold, purse remaining and more

Although they were the only two Indians to go for crores of rupees in the WPL 2024 auction, Indians generally earned a massive payday as far as their upcoming season in the WPL is concerned.

We take a look at five such Indians who earned a massive payday at the WPL 2024 auction:

Kashvee Gautam

On Saturday, uncapped Kashvee Gautam went onto become an overnight sensation after she was acquired by Gujarat Giants for a whopping amount of Rs 2 crore. Although Gautam is yet to make her senior India debut, she stole the limelight in 2020 when she took all 10 wickets of an innings during an Under-19 Women’s One Day Trophy game between her team Chandigarh and Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier this year, Kashvee scalped 12 wickets from seven games in the Senior Women’s T20 trophy. The 20-year-old would also go onto win the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup with India, whose ‘A’ team beat Bangladesh ‘A’ in the final.

Vrinda Dinesh

It wasn’t easy for franchises to get the services of 22-year-old Vrinda Dinesh. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Giants (GG) were in an intense bidding war early on for Vrinda, before UP Warriorz joined in and managed a steal of Rs 1.30 crore.

Like Kashvee, Vrinda was also part of India ‘A’ team that won the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup in Hong Kong. As far as her domestic cricket career is concerned, Vrinda plies her trade with Karnataka. Vrinda had scored 477 runs from 11 matches in the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy during the 2022-23 season.

Ekta Bisht

Ekta Bisht was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the WPL 2024 season for Rs 60 lakh. She brings with her loads of experience of playing for India over the years. Bisht has played 42 T20Is since her debut in 2011, and has taken 53 wickets. She is a handy left-arm orthodox bowler who can utilise the flight and pace of her deliveries to the best and in turn produce the best results.

For an RCB team who are lacking experienced spinners, Bisht’s presence for WPL 2024 could be an advantage for the team.

Gouher Sultana

Gouher Sultana is another Indian spinner who may not have had the recognition she would have wanted to in the Indian senior team. She has played 37 T20Is for the Women in Blue, having taken 29 wickets, but the rise of fellow spinners Deepti Sharma and Ekta Bisht meant that Sultana’s opportunities in the Indian team dried up before 2015.

At the WPL 2024 player auction, Sultana was snapped up by UP Warriorz for her base price of Rs 30 lakh, that too, after going unsold in the initial round.

Simran Bahadur

A promising youngster who has very recently started her senior India career, Simran Bahadur found takers in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after they acquired her services for her base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Bahadur is someone who can bat well in the lower middle-order, as well as showcase her versatility with the ball. Her major strength of bowling is her ability to swing the ball both ways, and sharing the stage with fellow pacers Renuka Singh and Kate Cross could prove to be a worthwhile experience for the 23-year-old.

Full list of Indian cricketers sold at WPL 2024 Auction:

Kashvee Gautam (UP Warriorz, Rs 2 crore)

Vrinda Dinesh (UP Warriorz, Rs 1.30 crore)

Ekta Bisht (RCB, Rs 60 lakh)

Gouher Sultana (UP Warriorz, Rs 30 lakh)

Simran Bahadur (RCB, Rs 30 lakh)

S Meghana (RCB, Rs 30 lakh)

Veda Krishnamurthy (Gujarat Giants, Rs 30 lakh)

Meghna Singh (Gujarat Giants, Rs 30 lakh)

Priya Mishra (Gujarat Giants, Rs 20 lakh)

S Sajana (Mumbai Indians, Rs 15 lakh)

Trisha Poojitha (UP Warriorz, Rs 10 lakh)