WPL 2024 Mini Auction: Kashvee, Vrinda flip heads as uncapped Indians, Capitals get Sutherland for report bid

For the 5 groups, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini public sale was primarily centered on addressing gaps of their squads.

Nonetheless, on Saturday afternoon, the highlight was claimed by two uncapped Indian children, Kashvee Gautam and Vrinda Dinesh, who garnered bids of Rs 2 crore and Rs 1.3 crore, from Gujarat Giants and the UP Warriorz, respectively.

While a number of the high worldwide stars like Chamari Athapaththu and Deandra Dottin went unsold, Australia’s all-rounder Annabel Sutherland was the most costly abroad participant, attracting the joint-highest bid of the public sale at Rs 2 crore.

The Capitals had a handbag of Rs 2.25 crore coming into the public sale and the franchise exhausted most of that cash by buying Sutherland, who was earlier launched by Gujarat Giants.

An intense bidding battle unfolded between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, with the latter finally sealing the deal.

Capitals’ head coach Jonathan Batty stated, “We obviously have a balanced squad anyway. If we were to improve one area, it would be our starting eleven, subject to the playing conditions. Annabel is a multi-skilled player – she could bat anywhere between No. 3 and No. 7. She bowls in all phases of the match and is a stand-out all-rounder. For us, she was going to be our No.1 pick from the start…”

The largest story of the day, nevertheless, centred round Kashvee, a seam-bowling all-rounder who went unsold within the earlier version, making all heads flip. Having represented India A within the not too long ago concluded T20 sequence in opposition to England A, Kashvee impressed along with her bowling performances, delivering breakthroughs in crunch moments.

Kashvee Gautam turned the most costly uncapped cricket within the Women’s Premier League.
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Special Arrangement

Her 12 wickets on the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy final month earned her a spot within the India A group. Prior to that, she was part of India’s triumphant Under-23 squad on the ACC Emerging event in Hong Kong.

Gujarat Giants’ mentor and former India captain Mithali Raj stated, “She (Kashvee) has the possibility of making it to the Indian team, and we are also looking forward to two more seasons and not just restricting to this season. Otherwise, we would have gone for an experienced player.

“We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we need to release an experienced player again next season. We need to have some players who are young but not very inexperienced.”

“They have performed well in the U-19 World Cup or for India A or in the domestic circuit, so they have some form along with experience. The roles might be a bit different in the WPL, but still, it’s important to get that sort of performance from them,’ she added.

Just like Kashvee, Vrinda from Bengaluru has also impressed national selectors and franchises. She received invitations for trials from all the franchises in August, and eventually, UP Warriorz got her on board. During the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) initiated the bid, but Warriorz escalated the price.

In the tricky realm of franchise leagues, young players who secure big-money deals have often struggled. However, Mithali believes that it is the responsibility of the franchises to boost their confidence.

“I don’t think they would be carried away. In fact, there would be lot more pressure as they have gone for such a high price. They know the expectations of the franchise because of the price. That’s where the challenge is for the management to give them the confidence,” Mithali stated.

“The uncapped players may not necessarily be your match-winners, but they play the important supporting role that is expected from them…”

During the public sale, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) initiated the bid for Vrinda, however Warriorz escalated the worth to safe her signature.
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Sportzpics for BCCI

Having disregarded half of its squad, Gujarat Giants had a number of gaps to fill. They managed to make some good acquisitions, spending Rs 1 crore for Phoebe Litchfield, together with Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Tarannum Pathan, and Veda Krishnamurthy.

While Indian gamers dominated the proceedings, former West Indies captain Dottin and Australian all-rounder Kim Garth remained unsold. England’s Danni Wyatt (Warriorz) and Kate Cross (RCB) discovered takers, whereas South Africa fast Shabnim Ismail was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.2 crore.

“The extra pace is something that we wanted. She is one of those players who brings a lot to the group. I’m really excited about having her on board,” Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards commented on the inclusion of Ismail.

Among capped Indians, the seasoned campaigner Ekta Bisht attracted the best bid of Rs 60 lakh for RCB, whereas Devika Vaidya didn’t discover any takers. Overall, the groups had been pleased with their picks, although they didn’t have a readability on the venue of the event.

Though BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the event will likely be held in ‘one state’, the franchises want to attend and watch earlier than finalising their methods for the event, which is predicted to start on February 22.