The 2025 Women's Premier League (WPL) player auction will be held on December 15 in Bengaluru, with the third edition of the five-team tournament set to start most probably by the first week of February 2025.
IANS understands that the names of Bengaluru and Goa were doing the unofficial rounds for the WPL 2025 auction. Sources, however, have confirmed that it is Bengaluru, which happens to be the home city of defending champions, Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The deadline for the player auction registration of Indian players is December 4 at 5 pm IST, as per the tournament guidelines. All five franchises have a budget of INR 15 crore, up from INR 13.5 crore, to build their squads for the 2025 season.
A total of 19 slots to be filled at the auction, five of whom will be roped in overseas players. The base price for capped players entering the auction is INR 30 lakh, INR 40 lakh and INR 50 lakh respectively. For the uncapped players, it is INR 10 lakh and INR 20 lakh respectively.
The team which was the bottom of the points table in the first two seasons is Gujarat Giants, with the largest auction purse, amounting to INR 4.4 crore. RCB will head into the auction with a purse of INR 3.25 crore. UP Warriorz enter the fray with INR 3.9 crore in their kitty. Two-time runner-up Delhi Capitals have INR 2.5 crore in their purse. The 2023 winner Mumbai Indians will enter the fray with INR 2.65 crore in their kitty.
According to sources, regarding the schedule of the 2025 tournament, the anticipation now is that the 2025 season will start on the first week of February and will end by March, but nothing has been said yet regarding whether the caravan model of the venues will be followed in the third season.
The first season of WPL was held in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, while the second season was held in Bengaluru and New Delhi. From 2025 onwards, the WPL will be played in the January-February 2026 window, according to the new ICC Women's Future Tours Programme 2025-29.
Read also| Bhuvneshwar Bid Farewell to SRH After '11 Incredible Years'
Read also| BGT 2024-25: Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best in the world, says Pat Cummins
