Title: Women’s Premier League (WPL) Retains Star Players for 2024 Season
New Delhi, October 21, 2023 – The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has announced that all the marquee players, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Meg Lanning, and Smriti Mandhana, have been retained their respective teams ahead of the 2024 season. The retention window for the five franchises came to an end on October 15.
Among the retained players, Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the Mumbai Indians to victory in the inaugural edition of the tournament this year, will continue to represent her team. The Mumbai Indians have also retained Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, and Isabelle Wong, among others.
The Delhi Capitals, who finished runners-up in the previous season, have retained a total of 15 players, including 5 overseas players. Meanwhile, the UP Warriorz, who secured the third position, have decided to retain their core group, including five overseas players. However, they have released Shabnim Ismail, the South African pace sensation.
The Delhi Capitals’ head coach Jonathan Batty expressed the difficulty in releasing some players, saying, “It wasn’t an easy decision at all for us to let go of these players. They were all a crucial part of our very memorable inaugural season, and I wish them all the very best. We’ve got a solid squad in place, and will aim to make it more complete at the upcoming auction.”
Here is a summary of the players retained and released each franchise:
Delhi Capitals:
– Retained Players: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu
– Released Players: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris
Gujarat Giants:
– Retained Players: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwer
– Released Players: Annabel Sutherland, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley, Sushma Verma
Mumbai Indians:
– Retained Players: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humairaa Kaazi, Isabelle Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia
– Released Players: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham, Neelam Bisht, Sonam Yadav
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
– Retained Players: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine
– Released Players: Dane Van Niekerk, Erin Burns, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar
UP Warriorz:
– Retained Players: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S. Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath
– Released Players: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail, Shivali Shinde, Simran Shaikh.
As the teams gear up for the upcoming WPL auction, the retention of key players sets the stage for an exciting and competitive 2024 season. Fans can expect fierce battles between the franchises as they aim for glory in the Women’s Premier League.