WPL 2026 Retention: Deepti Sharma, Meg Lanning among top stars released before mega auction

WPL 2026 Retention and auction: The Women’s Premier League 2026 is already creating a huge noise after the player retention list came out on Thursday. Fans were shocked when India’s star allrounder Deepti Sharma and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt were both released by their teams before the mega auction.

Deepti and Wolvaardt Released Before Auction

Deepti Sharma was one of the biggest stars in India’s World Cup win this year. She scored 215 runs and took 22 wickets to win the player-of-the-tournament award. She also played a big role in the final with a brilliant fifty and five wickets against South Africa.

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Even after such a great season, her team UP Warriorz decided not to keep her. She was also the player-of-the-tournament in the 2024 WPL season, which makes her release even more surprising.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt also faced the same fate as she was released by Gujarat Giants. Both these moves have left fans wondering what kind of strategy the teams are planning for the next season.

With so many top players released, the WPL 2026 Mega Auction is expected to be full of big surprises and bidding wars. UP Warriorz now have the largest purse of Rs 14.5 crore and four RTM cards, which gives them a strong chance to rebuild their squad.

WPL 2026 Retention and auction List

1. UP Warriorz (UPW)

UP Warriorz have only one retention this time, Shweta Sehrawat, who was kept for Rs 50 lakhs. They also let go of their captain Alyssa Healy along with top players like Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma.

2. Delhi Capitals (DC)

Delhi Capitals kept Jemimah Rodrigues for Rs 2.2 crore, and also retained Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, and Annabel Sutherland for the same value. But the most shocking part was when DC released their famous captain Meg Lanning.

3. Mumbai Indians (MI)

The defending champions kept five main players but had to drop some stars because of the two-overseas player rule. They released Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, and Shabnim Ismail.

4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

RCB kept four main players but let go of some big names. They released star allrounder Sophie Devine and fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur. With only four retentions, they now have one RTM card and might use it to buy back Renuka.

5. Gujarat Giants (GG)

Some teams have kept their top stars for big amounts. Ashleigh Gardner was retained by Gujarat Giants for Rs 3.5 crore, while Beth Mooney was kept for Rs 2.5 crore. RCB decided to hold on to Smriti Mandhana for Rs 3.5 crore, Richa Ghosh for Rs 2.75 crore, and Ellyse Perry for Rs 2 crore.

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