Women's Premier League Auction: 10 players who will start a bidding war

The much-awaited Women's Premier League auction is just five days away now and with 409 players going under the hammer, Jio World Convention Centre is going to be a bidding war room on 13th February.

A total of 409 cricketers are going under the hammer among which 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players.

A total of 24 players have listed themselves in the top category of Rs 50 Lakh.

We take a look at the top names which can start the bidding war in Mumbai:

• Harmanpreet Kaur: One of the best T20 batters in the world, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is known to destroy the bowling lineups. With all five teams looking for a leader, Harmanpreet will go for a huge price. With close to 3000 runs in T20 internationals, Harman is the leading run-scorer for India in this format and fifth all over the world. Captaining India in the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup, Harman is set to get a huge bid.

• Smriti Mandhana: Elegant and graceful are the terms used to describe the batting of India's best opener. With 20 fifties in international T20s, Smriti Mandhana will warrant a bidding war between franchises. Mumbai is expected to go for the left-handed batter given she is from Maharashtra as well. Her exceptional performances in WBBL and prior experience playing in such leagues make her a must-bid player for any franchise.
  

• Tahila McGrath: Currently the World number 1 batter in T20 internationals, Tahila McGrath is Australia's crisis player whenever they need one. McGrath is known to win games from clutch situations and is a handy all-rounder. The all-round skillset of McGrath makes her one of the most important players on the team and surely franchises won't miss out on such a player.
• Beth Mooney: With the experience of more than 250 T20 games under her belt, Mooney has been a consistent part of the all-conquering Australian squad. Mooney is usually known as the silent killer as she will go by her business silently and win games for Australia.
• Ash Gardner: Another Aussie on the list, Ashleigh Gardner is the best all-rounder in the world at this moment. One of the regular features of Sydney Sixers in WBBL, Gardner is expected to go for a high price given her all-around skillset.

• Deepti Sharma: India's crisis woman, Deepti Sharma is known to bail the team out of difficult situations multiple times. With her experience of playing on Indian pitches and the skill sets at the display, Deepti Sharma will attract a big price from the bidders.
  

• Sophie Ecclestone: Standing at 6 feet tall, Sophie Ecclestone has been one of the best bowlers for quite some time. Known for economical bowling and wickets at crucial junctures, Sophie will bring her experience of playing in the Women's Hundred tournaments.
• Shafali Verma: Coming fresh from the U-19 Women's World Cup victory, Shafali Verma is the golden girl of Indian women's cricket. Known for her swashbuckling style of play, Shafali has drawn parallels with Virender Sehwag. Despite being 19 years old, She has played 51 T20 internationals and made a sizeable contribution to India's recent success. The u-19 World Cup-winning captain is expected to go for big bucks.
• Ellyse Perry: One of the greatest players ever to play the game of cricket, Perry has been the face of this generation for the longest. Although she encountered a slump in her form last year her performance against India in the recently concluded 5-match series ensured that she is still the best in business. With five T20 World cup titles under her belt, Perry has been one of the best players in the past 15 years.

• Amelia Kerr: The 22-year-old garnered everyone's attention when she scored 232* in ODI against Ireland in 2018. It has been a constant rise of the youngster as she has cemented her place in the New Zealand Cricket team. All the franchises will look to secure her services.
  

There are many other names who could shoot up the charts too such as Sophie Devine, Meg Lanning, Suzie Bates, and many more.

From 41-year-old Latika Kumari to 15-year-old Sonam and Shabnam, WPL is set to take the fans and players on a roller-coaster ride during the auctions. It will be interesting to see how many crorepatis we have at the end of the auction.