WPL 2026 Auction: From Laura Wolvaardt to Meg Lanning, 5 overseas batters in focus this year
The heated battle is looming as 277 players vie for 73 available slots with 83 overseas players and 194 Indian players. The overseas player bank consists of 66 overseas players and 17 overseas unrestricted players who will try to fill the 23 available quotas.
Also read: WPL 2026 Auction: From Renuka Singh to Kranti Gaud – 5 Indian bowlers who could dominate the WPL auction
While Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), UP Warriorz (UPW) and Gujarat Giants (GG) are looking to recruit key players from abroad for their teams, a total of 19 players have been registered in the highest base price bracket of Rs 50 lakh, 11 players in the Rs 40 lakh bracket and 88 players in the Rs 30 lakh bracket.
All franchisees are preparing for the WPL auction with different bag sizes. UP Warriorz will enter the auction arena with the largest purse size of Rs 14.5 crore. Gujarat Titans will be the second largest bidder with a balance of Rs 9 crore, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru with Rs 6.16 crore. Meanwhile, the mighty Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals come in with tighter balances of around Rs 5.7-5.75 billion.
While overseas players often turn the tide in WPL matches, many batsmen could become the focus of heavy bids in today’s WPL bidding session.
Also read: WPL Auction 2026: Everything you need to know— Player pool, remaining slots, purse balance and stars to watch
WPL 2026 Auction: Here are five foreign players who could dominate the bidding table
Laura Wolvaardt
South African player Laura Wolvaardt has 342 runs in 13 WPL matches. Having a right-handed batting style, Laura often makes headlines with her current strike rate of 125.74. He achieved his highest score of 76 against RCB bowlers. Notably, he is a veteran of more than 180 international games. Laura Wolvaardt came in as an injured replacement for Beth Mooney in the first WPL season and subsequently scored 310 runs in just 10 matches for GG with an SR of 134.19. She also captained South Africa in the Women’s T20 World Cup final in 2024.
Alyssa Healy
Australian batsman Alyssa Healy is expected to be another talked about player with her record 428 runs in 17 WPL matches. The right-handed batsman has a strikeout rate of 130.49 and an average of 26.75. His highest score is 96 against RCB. In the first WPL auction, UPW bought him for 70 lakh rupees. He led UPW to the Eliminator in the first edition of the WPL. She also replaced Meg Lanning as Australia’s full-time captain across all formats in December 2023. She set a major international cricket record by smashing 29 off 107 balls against the West Indies in the 2022 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final. Alyssa Healy also helped Australia lift the trophy by hitting 70 from 138 balls in the final against England.
Also read: WPL 2026 Auction: Date, time, live broadcast, key players, venue and other details
Meg Lanning ‘Megastar’
Australia-based batsman Meg Lanning has 952 runs in 27 WPL matches. The right-handed batsman has a strikeout rate of 127.10 and an average of 39.67. His highest score is 92 points against GG. Meg Lanning is given the nickname ‘Megastar’ due to her great captaincy and match-winning abilities. She was also the leading run-getter in the first season of the WPL season with 345 runs in 9 innings and then finished second to compatriot Ellyse Perry in 2024. His trophy record includes T20 World Cup, two ODI World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Amelia Kerr
The New Zealand-based all-rounder has a record 437 runs and 40 wickets in 29 matches, making it a win-win deal for any franchise owner who manages to bid the highest for the player. In his first WPL season, Mumbai Indians won the bidding war for him and acquired his services for Rs 1 million. He has performed magnificently in all WPL seasons. He finished the tournament as joint second-highest wicket-taker in 2024 and MI’s second-highest run-scorer in 2024. She was also named the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2024.
Also read: WPL Auction 2026: From Pratika Rawal to Harleen Deol, five Indian batsmen are in focus
Phoebe Litchfield
Young Australian batsman Phoeve Litchfield, who is seen as a future superstar, is also expected to receive aggressive offers. He has a record of 199 runs in 14 matches. His strike rate is 114.37 with an average of 15.31. He was bought for Rs 1 million at the WPL 2024 auction as he continued to get a glimpse of his talent with his brilliant 119 against India in the ODI series at the start of 2024. Litchfield has been seen as ‘one for the future’ since his youth cricket days.
Other notable players in the WPL 2026 auction include Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Isabelle Wong and Suné Luus. Fans are eagerly awaiting the final team listings in the WOL 2026 auction as franchise owners prepare for a fierce bidding war.
