Hurley Gala (Photo Source: Twitter)
The player list for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction for the 2024 season has been released, with a total of 165 cricketers due to go under the hammer on December 9.
The WPL 2024 Player Auction list includes 104 Indians and 61 abroad cricketers, including 15 from associate nations. There are also 56 capped players and 109 uncapped cricketers on the list. Each team has a maximum of 30 spots available, with nine reserved for international players.
Before the auction, 60 players from five teams were retained, including 21 overseas players, while 29 cricketers were removed from their present rosters. Ahead of the event, here is a look at 5 uncapped players who could get big money with franchises jostling for them in a bidding war.
Here are 5 uncapped players teams could start a bidding war at WPL 2024 auction:
1. Jasia Akhtar
Jasia Akhtar, who hails from Brari Pora village in Shopian district of Jammu & Kashmir, has lots of experience in Indian domestic cricket. She has played 51 Women’s List-A games and 58 Women’s T20s, scoring 1424 and 1636 runs respectively.
She has a total of four centuries with a List-A best of 155* and a T20 best of 125*. She was picked by the Delhi Capitals side in the inaugural WPL auction in 2023. Her aggressive way of batting with a strike rate of over 100 in both formats bodes well in WPL 2024. Franchises will have an eye out for this hitter in the WPL auction.
2. Grace Scrivens
The 20-year-old Grace Scrivens has made quite a name for herself with outings for Kent and London Spirit. She opens the batting and provides a bowling option with her off-break bowling. She had also captained the England U19 team to the final of the World Cup.
Scrivens was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 293 runs from seven innings at an average of 41.85 and a strike rate of 129.07. She has 969 runs in 53 WT20s wth six fifties and a best of an unbeaten 94. She also has 24 wickets with a best of 4/33.
3. Dhara Gujjar
Dhara Gujjar, from Bengal, is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and left-handed batter. She was part of the Mumbai Indians team in the WPL 2023 season but was released ahead of WPL 2024 auction. She had a pretty good domestic season before WPL 2023 and shouldered the Bengal middle order. She only got to play three games in WPL 2023 and scored four runs. However, the WPL 2024 auction might see the fortunes change for Gujjar.
4. Hurley Gala
India’s U19 World Cup winner Hurley Gala was part of the Gujarat Giants franchise in WPL 2023, but couldn’t get a game. The 17-year-old impressed one and all with her ability to bowl fast and also her penchant to tonk the ball down the order. Most teams will be interested in her, not least the Mumbai Indians, who have organized a number of school-level tournaments in which Gala has competed.
5. Nicola Hancock
Australian all-rounder Nicola Hancock recently participated in the WBBL 2023 tournament. She played 17 matches and picked 23 wickets at an economy of 7.12. Bringing energy and competitiveness, she will be looking to impress with her pace bowling and hard-hitting batting in the lower order. The team are always on the lookout for multitalented cricketers and Hancock is surely one with a lot of experience.