WPL 2026 set for historic mega auction — BCCI finalises dates, player retention, slots and RTM card rules
As the women’s league becomes one of the fastest-growing sporting venues globally, the 2026 auction promises to be a blockbuster event, paving the way for an exciting new era in Indian women’s cricket.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) will undergo a significant transformation with the inaugural mega auction planned for the 2026 season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is finalizing the arrangements and the players will be auctioned next month.
Accordingly EspncricinfoThe mega auction is scheduled for November 25-29, while the six participating teams must submit their player lists by November 5. Players also have until November 19 to register for the auction.
WPL 2026 – Major Auction Guidelines
Each team will have an auction budget of Rs. 15 crore, reflecting a 20% increase over the inaugural auction held in 2020. Each team will also receive a Right to Match (RTM) card for each player they choose not to keep. This means that a team that retains five players will not have any RTM cards, while a team that retains no players can use RTM for up to five players on their roster in 2025.
Details on Storage Deductions
The purse cut for a player holding 5 with 5.75 crore remaining and zero RTMS available was 9.25 crore.
The remaining 4 players had a purse cut of 8.75 crore, with 6.25 crore remaining and 1 RTMS available.
The remaining 3 players had a purse cut of 7.75 crore, remaining 7.25 crore and 2 RTMS were available.
A player holding 2 had a purse cut of 6 crores, leaving 9 crores and 3 RTMS available.
A player holding 1 had a purse cut of 4 crores, remaining 11.50 crores and 4 RTMS available.
A player holding 0 had a purse cut of 0 crore, remaining 15 crore and 5 RTMS available.
The report notes that similar to the IPL, teams are allowed to negotiate salaries with their remaining players and can pay one player more than the other as long as they comply with the set rules. If a team retains five players, the total expenditure must remain within Rs. 9.25 crore. However, teams can exceed this limit, but the excess will be deducted from the auction budget.
It was also noted that the 2026 WPL will start earlier than previous years. Starting from the fourth season, the ICC has approved a new planning window that will allow the tournament to be held in January and be completed before the Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India.
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