The much-anticipated Women’s T20 League has finally become a reality. With the schedule list and fixtures out, there is a buzz of finally being able to witness the rise of women’s cricket in India. However, the five teams did battle it out in their bid to get the best possible players for their respective teams at the auction which was held in Mumbai on February 13.
S. Mandhana became the most expensive player of the auction when Royal Challengers Bangalore successfully bagged her with a bid of INR 3.40 crore. Sure all the eyes were on the marquee players but franchises were smart in their approach and did bag some steal deals at the auction. Here we take a look at such five steal buys of the player from the auction.
5 Steal Buys in the WT20 2023 Auction:
#.5 M. Lanning – INR 1.10 crore
The Australian skipper was picked up by the Delhi Capitals for INR 1.10 crore. Delhi was at loggerheads with Mumbai who were also involved in the bidding process who later backed out. Lanning has two Women’s cricket world cups and four T20 World Cup titles to her name, thus signifying her glorious career of hers. She has 127 T20I matches under her belt scoring more than 3000 thousand runs. Surely the 1.10 crore price tag was indeed a steal by the Capitals.
#.4 S. Dunkley – INR 60 Lakhs
Gujarat certainly knows how to strike a bargain deal and this they did by bagging Dunkley for a mere INR 60 lakhs at the auction. She has been showing tremendous growth in her international career with the West Indies team and has scored 608 runs so far. Gujarat was rivaled in the bidding process by Delhi but they backed out which saw Gujarat bag her for just INR 60 lakhs. In an auction where crore deals were skyrocketing for players, the Giants played it smart in bagging Dunkley.
#.3 D. Dottin – INR 60 Lakhs
Another bargain deal bagged by Gujarat Giants, the West Indies all-rounder Dottin has retired from international cricket after serving her country for 14 long years. She has won the T20 World Cup in 2016 beating Australia in 2016, while she is also known for her first T20I hundred in the 2010 Women’s T20 World Cup. A veteran of the game who knows all the tricks of the trade is indeed a good buy for Gujarat at just INR 60 Lakhs.
#.2 A. Healy – INR 70 Lakhs
UP Warriorz certainly made up for the lack of star players on their side with the inclusion of Healy in their team. And for just INR 70 lakhs, they sure will be feeling lucky. Having won 5 T20 World Cup titles, 1 ODI World Cup title, and 2 WBBL titles are some of the major achievements of her career. Aggressive with the bat and with a sharp eye for the game Healy will surely be the driving force for the UP team in the WT20 League 2023 season. Perhaps the other franchise forgot to start a bidding war when she was up for grabs at the auction or UP just got very lucky.
#.1 S. Devine – INR 50 Lakhs
New Zealand skipper Devine was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a sum of INR 50 lakhs which was also her base price. She was the first overseas player to be sold at the auction and to much surprise, only the RCB showed interest in getting the hold of the player, ultimately their bid was the final one and they sure bagged a world-class player for dirt cheap. She is just 50 runs shy of reaching 3000 T20I runs a milestone which she will eye to reach in the WT20 league. Her presence could well turn out to be a game changer for RCB who already has a plethora of talented individuals in their team.
