WPL Auction: Five potential players to fetch big bids

The Women's Premier League(WPL) 2024 auction is going to be organized by the BCCI in Mumbai on Saturday. Many top players will be under the radar of the five teams of the WPL.

The fight will be for the available 30 places which are yet to be filled after the retention process which saw almost all top Indian players staying in their respective teams for the second season of the premier women's cricket league of India.

Here at The Bridge, we will look for the top 5 players who can be the top contenders of the auction:

Deandra Dottin - All Rounder

This explosive batter from the Caribbean Island who is also quite handy with the ball in hand, could be one of the most talked about players during the WPL auction. She was bought by Gujarat Giants in the last season of WPL but she could not continue because of an injury and hence was replaced from the squad.

The 32-year-old Dottin is one of the two players with the highest reserve price of INR 50 Lakhs and many teams will be looking for her highly-rich experience of more than 100 International T20 matches.

Kim Garth - Fast Bowler

Kim Garth is the second player who has put the highest reserve price of 50 Lakhs at this auction. This Australian fast bowler who previously played for the Irish women's team has played for Gujarat Giants in the first season of the WPL.

She also ends up as their leading wicket-taker of the season with 11 wickets in total. Five of these eleven wickets came out in her debut match against UP Warriorz. Gujarat might bring her back to the squad to bolster their attack.

Chamari Athapaththu - Batter

Another explosive opener from Sri Lanka, Athapaththu is in really great form this year, she scored more than 550 runs in the recently concluded Women's Big Bash league. She took her team Sydney Thunders to the playoffs with this performance and finished with second highest run-scorer in the league.

In the first season of WPL, she went unsold which came as a big shock to the whole cricket community. But, given her recent form, she might be one the highest bidder this time, starting with the base price of 30 Lakhs.

Shabnim Ismail - Fast Bowler

One of the fastest bowlers in the history of women's cricket, Shabnim Ismail will be on radar of the most of the teams. She offers great support up front and is also a lethal death bowler. She again put her in the auction for the base price of 40 Lakhs.

Ismail is South Africa's all-time leading wicket-taker in both the One Day International and Twenty20 International formats. In 2023, She played for the UP Warriorz but it was not a good season for her as she managed only 3 wickets in 3 matches.

Devika Vaidya - All Rounder

Devika is an Indian international who could be one of the highest-paid Indian players. She is a good middle-over bowler who also offers good supportive play with the bat.

Last time, UP Warriorz broke the bank to acquire her services at INR 1.4 crore at the first-ever WPL auction. She provided a few good finishes for her team in the season with a good strike rate in the seven matches she played for them.