WPL 2026: 3 franchises that can target Sophie Ecclestone in the mega auction

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 Mega Auction promises to be the most intense yet, driven by the massive talent pool released into the market. Few names, however, carry the same financial weight and strategic value as Sophie Ecclestone. The world-renowned slow left-arm orthodox spinner was a major surprise omission from the retention list, having been released by the UP Warriorz.

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Sophie Ecclestone Bowler

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler has been a top-tier player in the league, yet she was left off of the retention list by UP Warriorz. Due to her experience and excellent performance in the league, she has made a huge impact to the group's success, including being one of two players who took the most wickets (16) in WPL 1. Her total WPL record is also impressive, as she has taken 36 wickets in 25 matches and has averaged approximately 6.68 runs per over, a tremendous accomplishment in T20 cricket. The introduction of the 'Right to Match' (RTM) card, along with Ecclestone's sudden unavailability opens the door for three franchises with available funds and open squad spaces to compete for her.

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UP WARRIORZ WOMEN Founded: 100

The UP Warriorz women's cricket team is led by captain Deepti Sharma, with a squad that includes experienced Indian players like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Kiran Navgire, alongside international stars such as Sophie Ecclestone (England), Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), and Tahlia McGrath (Australia).

Retaining only one player in an uncapped Indian opener Shweta Sehrawat is a bold and possibly risky move by the UP Warriorz Management. While it guarantees them to enter into Mega Auction with maximum amount of total (4) Right To Match (RTM) card(s), getting that together with the intent to rebuild entire roster from scratch loses out on having one of their most effective, consistent wicket-takers.

As the franchise was able to build on stability and control, Ecclestone provided the needed middle overs for her teammates; her presence freed up space for other bowlers and allowed the franchise to dictate how they wanted to play. So with only one player retained, UP Warriorz still have a huge hole to fill within their bowling lineup. Their only option available will be either re-acquire Ecclestone using one of their four RTM cards or one of the auctioning franchises bid against each other. Either choice will allow for the acquiring of an already-established match winner who knows the environment, while continuing to utilise their high purse to build a new core around her.

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MUMBAI INDIANS WOMEN Founded: 2023

The Mumbai Indians women's cricket team is a professional team based in Mumbai, India, that competes in the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Indicating that the Mumbai Indians' (MI) Management is confident in the championship pedigree of the franchise's core group of players, five marquee players were retained by MI for Season 2022 including Natalie Sciver-Brunt, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, and G Kamalini. By retaining these world-class players, MI has created a dynamic batting lineup and two world-class pace-bowling all-rounders in Sciver-Brunt and Matthews. Notwithstanding this remarkable retained cohort, MI needs to recruit a specialist spinner of the very best quality.

MI lacks a specialist slow left-arm orthodox bowler to complement their pace attack (Matthews and Harmanpreet are the only two players in MI's current rotation who have off-spin capabilities), which will be critical in order for MI to succeed on sub-continent wickets in India. Sophie Ecclestone's expertise at causing batters to score less and take wickets at important times will provide an ideal combination alongside MI's pace and power-hitting style, thus elevating MI's bowling core from a quality bowling unit to perhaps the best-rounded and most dangerous in the entire league. Since MI have already filled all their retention slots, MI currently have no RTM cards and will be required to put a strong offer together for Ecclestone using what's remaining in MI's total budget.

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DELHI CAPITALS WOMEN Founded: 2023

The Delhi Capitals Women are a professional women's cricket team competing in the Women's Premier League (WPL), based in New Delhi.

The home team, the Delhi Capitals (DC), has also been able to hold onto their complete set of five players, including important batting contributors Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and pace-bowling specialists Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp. Additionally, there is a young and uncapped player named Niki Prasad. After making a concerted effort to get as many pace-bowling all-rounders as possible to have a solid base for a pace-bowling attack, DC and Mumbai both have very weak links when it comes to having a front-line spin-bowling option.

In the middle overs, the Capitals are in need of a strong and experienced spin-bowling option, thus, although they have added Kapp's and Sutherland's power and experience as death-over specialists, a world-class spin-bowler is needed to fill out that gap. Ecclestone would be an ideal fit for this role due to her control and consistency, as well as her ability to perform under pressure at crucial times during matches.

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