Sophie Molineux goes to UP Warriorz for 1.10 crore as 25 players sell at the WPL 2027 auction

Sophie Molineux was the only player to pass a crore at the WPL 2027 auction in Kochi, where five franchises filled 25 slots in under an hour

The Women's Premier League held its mini-auction in Kochi on Wednesday. Five franchises came with 27 places to fill and a pool of 146 registered players to fill them from.

Twenty-five of those places were taken. Australia allrounder Sophie Molineux accounted for the largest fee of the day, going to UP Warriorz for 1.10 crore against a base price of 50 lakh.

Seven of the 25 signings were overseas players and 14 were uncapped. The bidding was finished inside an hour, and two of the 27 places were left unfilled.

Molineux the only buy past a crore

Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried the bidding for Molineux as far as 1.05 crore before withdrawing, leaving the Warriorz to take her at one bid more.

The final fee was more than double what she had been listed at, and no other player in the room reached seven figures.

Australia spinner Jess Jonassen was the next-highest overseas buy, joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru for 40 lakh, her base price.

Three more overseas names went at 30 lakh each: South Africa's Chloe Tryon to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Ireland's Orla Prendergast to Gujarat Giants and Australia's Grace Harris to UP Warriorz.

Prendergast is the first Ireland player to be bought in the competition's history.

Navgire leads the Indian buys

India batter Kiran Navgire was the costliest Indian signing, joining Delhi Capitals for 75 lakh from a base of 40 lakh.

Mumbai Indians pushed that contest to 70 lakh before letting it go.

Uncapped batter Gunalan Kamalini went to Gujarat Giants for 40 lakh. No rival franchise entered against them, so she was sold at the price she was listed at.

She was one of 14 uncapped players to find a buyer, against seven overseas signings.

UP Warriorz fill eight slots

The Warriorz arrived with the largest unspent purse of the five, 3.75 crore, and eight places to fill.

They filled all eight, taking close to a third of the day's entire sale and finishing as comfortably the busiest buyer in the room.

Alongside Molineux and Harris they signed India offspinner Sneh Rana, wicketkeeper Sushma Verma and legspinner Asha Sobhana, each at 30 lakh.

Mumbai Indians worked at the other end of the scale. They had no overseas place to fill and spent all six of their picks on Indian players.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals came in with five places each to fill, and between them took the highest-priced Indian and the highest-priced overseas player of the day after Molineux.

Dunkley and Athapaththu find no bidder

England opener Sophia Dunkley, in at a base price of 50 lakh, drew no bid at all.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, listed at 30 lakh, also went unsold.

India wicketkeepers Taniya Bhatia and Uma Chetry were left without a deal.

With 27 places shared across five squads and only a handful of them open to overseas players, a pool of 146 was always going to leave established internationals without a team.

Squads now set for January

The fifth season of the competition is scheduled for January 14 to February 7, 2027.

Venues have not been announced. The five franchises now move into pre-season with their squads closed.

For the Warriorz, that means a reshaped side built around the most expensive player in the room; for Gujarat Giants, a first Ireland international on the books.

Twenty-five players changed hands in Kochi, and only one of them cost more than a crore.

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