WPL 2027 Auction Results: Molineux Tops Bidding at Rs 1.10 Crore, Navgire Most Expensive Indian

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 mini auction is done, and it produced a clear headline: Australia captain Sophie Molineux is the only player to cross the one-crore mark. UP Warriorz signed her for Rs 1.10 crore at the Grand Hyatt Kochi on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, as the five franchises completed their squads for the fifth edition of the tournament, scheduled from January 14 to February 7, 2027.

The auction was a brisk affair. A total of 146 players were shortlisted for 27 available slots, and 25 of those slots were filled, including seven overseas signings and 14 uncapped players. With the five teams holding a combined remaining purse of only Rs 8.15 crore after retentions, there was no room for the multi-crore bidding wars of a mega auction — but there was still plenty of drama, including a fierce tug-of-war for Molineux and some notable names going unsold.

Sophie Molineux WPL 2027 auction price: Rs 1.10 crore to UP Warriorz

Molineux entered the auction at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, the joint-highest in the pool alongside England batter Sophia Dunkley. Her former franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, pushed the bidding hard, but UP Warriorz held their nerve. RCB withdrew after the bid reached Rs 1.05 crore — despite still having Rs 1.15 crore left in their purse — and UP Warriorz closed the deal at Rs 1.10 crore.

It is a homecoming of sorts with a twist. Molineux was part of RCB’s title-winning squad in 2024 but missed the 2026 season, which put her back in the auction pool. The left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder and Australia captain now becomes the centrepiece of a UP Warriorz rebuild, joining a retained core that includes captain Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone. For a team that entered the auction with the most slots to fill and the biggest purse, landing the auction’s standout name was the statement signing of the evening.

WPL 2027 auction top buys and most expensive players

Player	Team	Price	Base price
Sophie Molineux (Australia)	UP Warriorz	Rs 1.10 crore	Rs 50 lakh
Kiran Navgire (India)	Delhi Capitals	Rs 75 lakh	Rs 40 lakh
G Kamalini (India)	Gujarat Giants	Rs 40 lakh	Rs 40 lakh
Jess Jonassen (Australia)	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rs 40 lakh	Rs 40 lakh
Grace Harris (Australia)	UP Warriorz	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Sneh Rana (India)	UP Warriorz	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Sushma Verma (India)	UP Warriorz	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Asha Sobhana (India)	UP Warriorz	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Chloe Tryon (South Africa)	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Tejal Hasabnis (India)	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh
Orla Prendergast (Ireland)	Gujarat Giants	Rs 30 lakh	Rs 30 lakh

Kiran Navgire: most expensive Indian player at WPL 2027 auction

Delhi Capitals won the race for the auction’s most expensive Indian player, signing power-hitter Kiran Navgire for Rs 75 lakh against a base price of Rs 40 lakh after competing with Mumbai Indians. Navgire, who was released by UP Warriorz ahead of the auction, gives Delhi’s already strong batting line-up a proven Indian ball-striker in the middle order, alongside retained stars Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. She is exactly the kind of signing a mini auction is built for: a known quantity, bought to fill one specific gap rather than rebuild a squad.

Delhi spent Rs 1.05 crore in total at the auction, adding Navgire, 15-year-old Karnataka all-rounder Uma Kashvi, Indian all-rounder Nazma Khan and Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon, all at base prices of Rs 10 lakh except Navgire. That took Delhi to a 17-member squad, leaving one slot unfilled.

WPL 2027 auction team-wise purse, slots and spending

Team	Purse entering auction	Slots available	Players bought	Auction spend
UP Warriorz	Rs 3.75 crore	8	8	Rs 2.60 crore
Delhi Capitals	Rs 1.10 crore	5	4	Rs 1.05 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rs 1.15 crore	5	4	Rs 1.10 crore
Gujarat Giants	Rs 1.25 crore	3	3	Rs 80 lakh
Mumbai Indians	Rs 90 lakh	6	6	Rs 70 lakh

UP Warriorz were, unsurprisingly, the busiest franchise of the evening. Apart from Molineux, they brought back Grace Harris — released by RCB — for Rs 30 lakh, added India all-rounder Sneh Rana, wicketkeeper Sushma Verma and leg-spinner Asha Sobhana for Rs 30 lakh each, and completed their 18-member squad with Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, Manali Dakshini and Sahana Pawar at Rs 10 lakh each. No other team filled all of its available slots.

Defending champions RCB did all their business late. After losing out on Molineux early, they bought nothing in the first ten sets and then moved in the accelerated rounds, signing Australia all-rounder Jess Jonassen — who had spent the first three WPL seasons with Delhi Capitals — for her base price of Rs 40 lakh, plus Chloe Tryon, Tejal Hasabnis and Vrinda Dinesh. Their Rs 1.10 crore spend left them with a 17-member squad and one slot still open.

Mumbai Indians, working with the smallest purse of Rs 90 lakh after acquiring USA’s Tara Norris from UP Warriorz in a pre-auction trade, bought six uncapped Indian players: Shweta Sehrawat (Rs 20 lakh), Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal, Sanika Chalke and Akshita Bhagat (Rs 10 lakh each). Gujarat Giants, who had only three slots to fill after retaining 15 players, signed wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini for Rs 40 lakh, Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast — the first Irish player picked in WPL auction history — for Rs 30 lakh, and uncapped all-rounder Samaira Raghav for Rs 10 lakh.

What the WPL 2027 auction results mean for the season

Three things stand out from the evening in Kochi. First, UP Warriorz have clearly had the best auction on paper: eight signings, the only crore-plus player, a returning match-winner in Harris, and a full 18-member squad built around Lanning, Molineux and Ecclestone. Second, the mini-auction format kept prices honest — only two players, Molineux and Navgire, went significantly above base price, and most signings happened exactly at base price. Third, the two unfilled slots — one each at RCB and Delhi Capitals — are a reminder of how tight the purse situation was: with Rs 8.15 crore shared between five teams at the start, franchises had to be selective rather than speculative.

There were also high-profile names left without a team. England batter Sophia Dunkley, listed at the joint-highest base price of Rs 50 lakh, went unsold, as did Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and India spinner Saika Ishaque, both listed at Rs 30 lakh. In a mini auction with only seven overseas slots on offer, even established internationals can be squeezed out when teams have already retained their overseas cores — the franchises had kept 63 players between them, including 23 overseas cricketers, before a single bid was placed.

For fans tracking the most runs in WPL history, the auction reshapes several batting orders at once: Lanning’s UP Warriorz now have Molineux and Harris for company, while Mandhana’s RCB have added Jonassen’s experience to a champion squad. The bowling charts will feel it too — Ecclestone stays at UP Warriorz, and the most wickets in WPL history race will now include Jonassen in RCB colours. And among the best all-rounders in WPL, Molineux’s move to UP Warriorz is the single biggest transfer of the off-season.

WPL 2027 auction results FAQs

Who was the most expensive player at the WPL 2027 auction?

Australia captain Sophie Molineux, signed by UP Warriorz for Rs 1.10 crore. She was the only player to cross the one-crore mark.

Who was the most expensive Indian player at the WPL 2027 auction?

Kiran Navgire, signed by Delhi Capitals for Rs 75 lakh against a base price of Rs 40 lakh.

When and where was the WPL 2027 auction held?

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt Kochi, Kerala, starting at 5:30 PM IST.

How many players were sold at the WPL 2027 auction?

25 of the 27 available slots were filled, including seven overseas players and 14 uncapped players. RCB and Delhi Capitals each finished with one slot unfilled.

When does the WPL 2027 season start?

The fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League is scheduled from January 14 to February 7, 2027.