The highly anticipated player retention list for the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season is scheduled for release on Thursday. This announcement will follow closely on the heels of the fourth T20 international match between India and Australia, taking place in Gold Coast, Queensland. Franchise decisions are final, with all five teams having submitted their retained players’ lists by Wednesday’s deadline. Many prominent cricketers are expected to be retained, while a significant number of star players will enter the mega auction. The mega auction is slated for November 27th in New Delhi, promising an exciting reshuffling of teams.
A source close to the developments confirmed that the official WPL retention details will be made public once the men’s T20I match concludes. Each franchise has specific retention limits: a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. A crucial condition is that if a team retains five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player. The total auction purse for each team is set at INR 15 crore.
Retention slabs are clearly defined: INR 3.5 crore for the first retained player, INR 2.5 crore for the second, INR 1.75 crore for the third, INR 1 crore for the fourth, and INR 50 lakh for the fifth. The Right to Match (RTM) option offers franchises a chance to re-acquire players from their 2025 squads, with a limit of five RTMs per team. The financial implications for the auction purse vary based on the number of players retained, ranging from INR 9.25 crore for five players down to INR 3.5 crore for just one. Teams retaining fewer players will consequently have more RTMs available, while those using all five retentions will lose their RTM privilege entirely.