Mumbai Indians release Kamalini as WPL franchises settle squads before the Kochi auction

Mumbai Indians have released Asian Games gold medallist Gunalan Kamalini and India left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque as all five Women's Premier League franchises settled their squads for the 2027 season

The retention deadline for the Women's Premier League fell on 28 September, and the five franchises have now confirmed who they keep and who returns to the pool. Between them they retained 62 players.

Every squad is capped at 18 players, of whom no more than six may be overseas, and each side has a salary purse of INR 15 crore. The retentions therefore set how much room and money each franchise carries into the auction.

That auction is at the Grand Hyatt in Kochi on 28 October, roughly two and a half months before the fifth edition of the tournament begins.

Mumbai move on from Kamalini

Mumbai Indians released six players, and the least expected of them was Gunalan Kamalini. The young wicketkeeper-batter was part of the India side that won the Asia Cup, and of the squad that took the women's cricket gold medal at this month's Asian Games in Japan.

Alongside her the franchise let go of Saika Ishaque, the left-arm spinner who has played for India, together with Australian quick Milly Illingworth and three uncapped players.

Mumbai retained 11, among them Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey and Shabnim Ismail. The two-time champions missed the playoffs last season and go to Kochi with seven places to fill.

Champions keep their batting core

Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrive as the holders, having beaten Delhi Capitals in the final in February for their second title.

They kept 12, including captain Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy — in effect the batting order that won them the 2026 final.

Four were released: Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, Gautami Naik and Dayalan Hemalatha. Six slots remain, and none of them is a hole the champions urgently need filled.

Delhi part with Rana, Lee and King

Last season's runners-up retained 13, the second-largest group of the five. Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani and Niki Prasad all stay.

Delhi Capitals released Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Taniyaa Bhatia, Pragati Singh and Srujana Eddla, along with leg-spinner Alana King, who had come in as a replacement for Sutherland.

That is two front-line spinners gone in one afternoon, and with five places left Delhi have the narrowest margin of any side that also has a clear need.

Gujarat leave themselves the least room

Gujarat Giants retained 15, more than any other side, holding on to Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Renuka Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Kashvee Gautam, Yastika Bhatia, Kanika Ahuja and Tanuja Kanwer.

Their four releases were Danni Wyatt-Hodge, seamer Titas Sadhu, who was injured during the 2026 season, Aayushi Soni and Shivani Singh.

With three places left, Gujarat will be the quietest table in the room, and the side with the least to prove for it.

UP Warriorz clear out their overseas names

UP Warriorz made the deepest cuts of the five, releasing Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon, Amy Jones, Asha Sobhana, Shweta Sehrawat and Kiran Navgire among others.

The 11 they kept are built around Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud, Harleen Deol, Simran Shaikh and Tara Norris.

That leaves seven places, matching Mumbai for the most to fill, and an overseas contingent to be rebuilt around Lanning, Litchfield and Ecclestone. Of the five squads, theirs is the one that will look most different in January.

The auction is at the Grand Hyatt in Kochi on 28 October, with WPL 2027 scheduled to run from 14 January to 7 February.

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