Pratika goes unsold; Deepti breaks bank: How India's World Cup squad did in WPL 2026 auction

India's Women World Cup winning moment - (Source: AFP)

It has been nearly a month since Harmanpreet Kaur and Co lifted the Women's World Cup for the first time in history. It was the night of November 2 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai when Team India got their hands on the coveted trophy.

Notably, the World Cup title also helped the squad players to raise their stocks for the upcoming WPL edition in January 2026. In the latest events, the WPL mega-auction is underway, and the World Cup-winning stars are in action. 

The fans are curious about how the India squad members did in the auction, and this article will shed light on that.

Firstly, let's look at India's Women's World Cup-winning squad

Harmanpreet Kaur (Capt),  Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Uma Chhetry and Sneh Rana 

Notably, out of these 15 players, only 5 players were retained, and the remaining 10 players entered the auction and let's see how they did.

1. Pratika Rawal

In a shocking event, India's one of the top run-getter in Women's World Cup 2025, Pratika Rawal came late into the auction but found no interest and went unsold for WPL 2026.

2. Harleen Deol - Rise in salary

Harleen Deol, who played a key role in India's World Cup campaign at No.3, raised her salary cap by 10 lakhs and went to UP Warriorz for 50 Lakhs. Notably, the right-handed batter played for Gujarat Giants for the first three years at a salary of 40 lakhs.

However, in the ongoing auction, Deol got a solitary bid of 50 lakhs from UP and will shift her base for WPL 2026.

3. Deepti Sharma - Rise in salary

Deepti Sharma was the one to watch out for in WPL 2026. The star Indian all-rounder, who was player of the tournament in the World Cup, saw a whopping rise of 60 lakhs in her salary.

For the first three years, Deepti played at UP Warriorz for 2.60 crores but returned to the Warriorz at 3.20 crores, as UP Warriorz exercised their RTM and snatched the deal from Delhi Capitals. 

4. Renuka Thakur - Dip in Salary

Renuka Thakur saw a shift in base for WPL 2026 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed no interest in the seamer. Thakur saw a massive dip in her salary as the right-handed batter moved to the Gujarat Giants at a salary of just 60 lakhs. 

Singh saw a dip from her salary of 1.50 crores to just 60 Lakhs. UP and Gujarat both showed interest in Renuka, but eventually the right-arm seamer moved to Gujarat.

5. Arundhati Reddy - Rise in Salary

Unfortunately, Arundhati Reddy played no matches at the Women's World Cup because of injury, but that didn't stop her from witnessing a rise in her WPL salary.

Reddy represented Delhi Capitals for the first three years at 30 lakhs, but has now shifted to RCB for a whopping salary of 75 lakhs. Gujarat Giants showed interest in Reddy, but RCB were keen to have the right-arm seamer.

6. Kranti Gaud - Rise in salary

Kranti was the biggest surprise of the Women's World Cup as the right-arm seamer emerged as one of the best bowlers in the tournament. In WPL 2025, she played for UP Warriorz at a base price of 10 lakhs. 

In this mega-auction, Gaud saw an increase of 40 lakhs and went to UP Warriorz at her base price of 50 lakhs.

7. Radha Yadav - Rise in Salary

Radha Yadav too saw a change in the team for WPL 2026 as the World Cup hero will now play for RCB instead of Delhi Capitals. She too saw an increase in salary as Radha earned 40 lakhs at DC and will now earn 65 lakhs for WPL 2026. 

Gujarat and RCB engaged in a bidding war for Radha Yadav, but eventually the star player moved to the one-time winners. 

8. Sree Charani

Sree Charani was one of India's finest spinners during the Women's World Cup, and her efforts were rewarded in the auction. Before the World Cup, Charani played for Delhi Capitals at a salary of 55 lakhs and saw a massive rise for the upcoming season. 

For WPL 2026, DC and UP showed interest in the left-arm spinner and eventually, Charani will play for the Capitals at a salary of 1.30 crores, more than double her previous salary.

9. Uma Chetry - Goes Unsold

Unfortunately for Uma Chetry, she came in India's World Cup squad as Yastika Bhatia's replacement and went unsold during WPL 2026 mega-auction.

10. Sneh Rana - Rise in Salary

Sneh Rana has had an interesting WPL journey. She started her career with UP Warriorz for the first two seasons at a salary of 75 lakhs. However, in WPL 2025, she came in as a replacement for Shreyanka Patil for RCB at a salary of 30 lakhs. 

For WPL 2026, Rana will now play for Delhi Capitals at a salary of 50 lakhs, which is a rise in salary from her previous season.

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