WPL 2024 Auction: Top 5 Uncapped Players who stole the limelight. Vrinda Dinesh picked up by UP Warriors for INR 1.3 crore while Kashwee Gautam went for INR 2 crore to Gujarat.
The second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction took place on December 9, 2023, in Mumbai. All five franchises filled their remaining slots. Along with some of the renowned overseas and India players, a few unknown India players too came into the limelight.
Let’s take a look at the top five uncapped India players of this WPL auction
1. Vrinda Dinesh- confused between 1.30 ‘lakh and crore’
There was very little doubt that the 22-year-old Vrinda Dinesh would find a franchise in the auction, especially after all five teams invited her for trials. A few of the contracted scouts also saw her playing a blinder in the final of the U-23 ACC emerging tournament in Hong Kong, where she made 36 in 29 balls on a sluggish surface.
The Karnataka opener began at a base price of INR 10 lakh. Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCBW) missed out on bringing the local player, as Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz went all guns blazing. Finally, UP picked her for a whopping INR 1.30 crore.
“We were actually training; I was bowling, and I heard my team-mate whispering to another colleague of ours saying, ‘They got her for 1.30.’ and I jumped in and asked, ‘What! 1.3 lakh?” Vrindra told ESPNcricinfo, while she was busy training in Raipur for the Women’s U-23 one-day tournament.
A hard-hitting top-order batter, Vrinda began playing seriously in 2014, before deciding cricket as her future in 2018, after she was woken up by Harmanpreet Kaur’s epic 171 in the World Cup semi-final in 2017. Before the U-23 ACC tournament, she was the third-highest run-getter for Karnataka in the senior Women’s domestic one-day competition, with 477 runs in 11 innings.
Vrinda used to travel almost 45 kilometres from home to the academy every day. Centre-wicket practice, turf nets, and facing quick bowlers till 6:30 in the evening sometimes, was her daily routine. Now her next goal is to score runs for the Warriorz, besides gaining experience from the stars of the game.
Read More: WPL 2024 Auction: Kashvee, Sutherland touch INR 2 cr mark; Vrinda bags 1.30 cr
2. Kashvee Gautam- The rise of a perfect all-rounder
India’s uncapped player Kashvee Gautam became the most expensive uncapped player in the history of the WPL, as she fetched INR 2 crore to Gujrat, after a fierce bidding war between the Giants and UP Warriorz.
The 20-year-old all-rounder Gautam, a right-arm seamer, drew attention in 2020 when, during a one-day game in the women’s domestic U-19 competition, with a perfect all-round performance. While representing Chandigarh against Arunachal Pradesh, she picked up all 10 wickets giving away just 12 runs in 4.5 overs, including a hat-trick and scoring 49 runs with the bat in hand. Most of her wickets were by either uprooting the stumps or trapping the batter LBW in front of the stumps.
At the Senior Women’s T20 trophy last month, she picked up 12 wickets in seven games at an economy of 4.14. Since then, she also went on to play for India A in the recently concluded series against England A at home.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is someone who has always inspired me, he has seen a lot of struggles in his career, and he is a world-class bowler.” Gautam told Women Criczone in an interview “I always wanted to emulate him and have tried to create an impact similar to him in terms of contributions with the ball.”
With a big price tag, more than Harmanpreet Kaur or Sophie Ecclestone, the responsibility will be huge on Gautam’s shoulders.
Read More: WPL 2023: A great beginning; fans await home-away format from next season
3. Sarjeevan Sajana- From playing with a coconut petiole bat to Mumbai Indians
Minnu Mani was the first cricketer from the Adivasi community in Wayanad in Kerala to enter the WPL. The path laid by Minnu found her statemate, Sajana Sajeevan, becoming the second cricketer from the Kurichiya tribe to enter the WPL auction. She was brought by Mumbai Indians Women (MIW) for INR 15 lakh.
As a kid, Sajana began playing the game only for fun with a bat, made out of a coconut petiole and a plastic ball in the paddy fields near her home in Choottakadavu. By the time she was 12, she didn’t know women’s cricket existed.
The elder daughter of autorickshaw driver Sarjeevan and panchayat ward councillor Sarada, Sajana now looks to learn from the likes of Harmanpreet and Hayley Mattews. She also treasures the bat, gifted to her by Gautam Gambhir seven years ago. But for now, Sajana wants to use the money to clear her family debts.
Read More: WPL 2023: Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt chief architects of MI-W’s winning campaign
4. Amanjot Kaur- From gully cricket to Indian dressing room
The 23-year-old Amanjot Kaur’s journey from gully cricket with neighbourhood friends to the National team has been inspiring for many. His father stood by her like a rock and reduced his own business to accompany her daughter to the academy when she was 15.
Kaur’s captaincy and cricketing still was instrumental in guiding the Chandigarh senior women’s team through several games. Kaur credited his father for keeping faith in her and expressed how grateful she had been to live her dream.
Making her India debut at the start of 2023, Kaur has nailed 71 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 122.41. After going to Mumbai Indians at a base price of INR 10 lakh, she would now spend time with some overseas experienced players,
5. Trisha Poojitha- Gujrat invested in young batter
The 21-year-old Yeadukondala Trisha Poojitha has found an opportunity to grow at a young age. Gujrat bought her at a base price of 10 lakh. The Hyderabad batter has all the talent to reach the top level, and if she gets the right stage to display her talent, the senior India team won’t be far from her reach.
The second season of WPL 2024 is expected to take place from February 22 to March 17.
Read More: WPL 2023: Final, MI v DC: Mumbai Indians clinch trophy in inaugural WPL season
