The inaugural Women’s Premier League Auction has finally arrived.
The highly-anticipated T20 tournament gets underway in India next month, with five teams competing in the 22-game competition across two venues in Mumbai.
Each team is permitted to sign six international players, and an assortment of Australia’s top cricketers will go under the hammer at Monday evening’s Auction.
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Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner, currently in South Africa with the T20 World Cup squad, confessed the Auction was playing on her mind, but assured reporters the reigning champions would not be distracted as they pursue a third consecutive title.
“To be honest, I‘ve tried to not think about it but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t,” Gardner said.
“I actually dreamt about it the other night, which is quite sad but (also) quite funny but that‘s how much I’ve been thinking about it, unfortunately.
“It‘s a huge moment for women’s cricket and to see that the money that’s been put into women’s cricket over in India to ultimately have that global impact, to have associate players given the opportunity to play in that competition, is huge to take back to their homelands.
“For me, it‘s certainly not about the money side of things, it’s being able to go over there and challenge myself in different conditions … but my focus right now is on the World Cup and playing for my country.
“(The auction is) kind of the elephant in the room for a lot of teams and we’re trying to keep our focus pretty sharply on this World Cup.”
WHAT TIME IS THE AUCTION?
The inaugural WPL Auction is scheduled to get underway at the Bandra-Kurla Complex’s Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Monday, February 13 at 2.30pm local time, or 8pm AEDT.
HOW TO WATCH THE AUCTION?
The WPL Auction will be broadcast live on Fox Cricket (Channel 501) and streaming platform Kayo.
HOW MANY PLAYERS ARE UP FOR AUCTION?
There are 409 players, cut down from the 1525 cricketers who nominated themselves last month, going under the hammer on Monday, including 163 overseas players.
However, there are just 30 spots available for overseas cricketers across the competition this season, with each of the teams permitted a maximum of six international players.
Each of the five teams has a salary cap of 12 crore (AU$2.1m) for squads of between 15-18 players. You can see a full list of the cricketers up for auction here.
WHICH AUSSIE PLAYERS ARE UP FOR AUCTION?
There are 28 Australians up for auction on Monday evening, including the entire T20 World Cup squad.
Gardner, Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Jess Jonassen and Darcie Brown are among the 24 players who selected the highest base price of 50 lakh (AU$87,000), along with New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and England spinner Sophie Ecclestone.
Base price of 50 lakh (AU$87,000): Meg Lanning, Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Darcie Brown
Base price of 40 lakh (AU$70,000): Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Megan Schutt, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Base price of 30 lakh (AU$52,000): Annabel Sutherland, Elyse Villani, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Sarah Coyte, Hannah Darlington, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Holly Ferling, Anesu Mushangwe
Base price of 10 lakh (AU$17,500): Laura Harris, Tess Flintoff
Upcoming IPL auction won’t distract Aus | 00:58
