A prelude to the actual contest, the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 Player Auction returns on December 9, 2023, with 165 of the world's best women cricketers hoping to score a deal for themselves with one of the five participating teams. Out of the 165 players on offer, 104 are Indian while 61 are from overseas. Fifteen of those 61 are from associate nations, underlining the WPL's significant progress in just the second season of its existence. Furthermore, from the player pool, 54 have been capped by their respective countries, while 109 are still awaiting their first national call-up. (Auction Live Blog | More Cricket News)
Both, Indian and foreign players are likely to be in high-demand in the auction, despite the dearth of slots available to each team. Delhi Capitals, regular season league-leaders in 2023, have just four slots to offer, with Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz coming in behind them with six each - each team can only sign one foreign outfielder. Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, meawhile, have left themselves plenty to do in the auction, with the former hoping to fill 13 slots while the latter ten.
With budget also limited for these sides, it remains to be seen how far are they willing to go to sign some of the most expensive players in the auction. Here's a list of players with a base price of INR 40 Lakh or above.
| Sr No. | Player Name | Country | Player Type | Base Price |
| 1 | Deandra Dottin | West Indies | All-Rounder | INR 50 L |
| 2 | Kim Garth | Australia | Bowler | INR 50 L |
| 3 | Annabel Sutherland | Australia | All-Rounder | INR 40 L |
| 4 | Georgia Wareham | Australia | All-Rounder | INR 40 L |
| 5 | Amy Jones | England | Wicket-Keeper | INR 40 L |
| 6 | Shabnim Ismail | South Africa | Bowler | INR 40 L |
Despite their hefty base price, both Deandra Dottin and Kim Garth are likely to fetch a big fee in the auction. Two of the most prominent names in international women's cricket, Dottin and Garth are the only players to have been assigned a 50 Lakh value. A situation that may develop concering the two bonafide stars is a bidding war between Gujarat and Bengaluru, with the pair currently holding the most money in the bank after releasing a significant number of players.
The Women's IPL 2024 Player Auction is scheduled to commence at 3 PM on December 9, 2023.
