New Delhi, Oct 9 : Women's Premier League (WPL) teams can retain up to five players ahead of the mega auction, with the retention deadline set for November 5, as per communication sent to teams. The auction itself will be held between November 25 and 29.

According to an email sent to franchises on Thursday, each team can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. However, if a team chooses to retain all five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player.

For the first time in the Women's Premier League (WPL), franchises will be able to use the right-to-match (RTM) option at the mega auction, allowing them to buy back players who were part of their squad in the 2025 season. Each team will be given a maximum of five RTMs, but this number will reduce depending on how many players a team decides to retain ahead of the auction.

However, the number of RTMs available will depend on how many players a team retains. If all five retention slots are used, the RTM option becomes unavailable. Teams retaining four players will have one RTM, three players will allow two RTMs, two players will give access to three RTMs, and one retention will provide four RTMs.

The WPL has set an auction purse of Rs 15 crore for each franchise ahead of the mega auction. The league has introduced guideline prices for player retentions, categorized into five slabs: Rs 3.5 crore for Player 1, Rs 2.5 crore for Player 2, Rs 1.75 crore for Player 3, Rs 1 crore for Player 4, and Rs 50 lakh for Player 5. Based on the number of players retained, a specific amount will be deducted from the franchise's auction purse. If a team retains five players, Rs 9.25 crore will be deducted; for four players, the deduction will be INR 8.75 crore; for three, Rs 7.75 crore; for two, Rs 6 crore; and for one, Rs 3.5 crore.

Although the WPL has outlined standard retention prices, franchises and players can negotiate different amounts. In such cases, the actual agreed-upon figure will be deducted from the team's purse instead of the standard slab amount. For uncapped Indian players, the minimum retention value has been fixed at Rs 50 lakh, though that amount may increase depending on negotiations.

The WPL has also laid out a clear timeline in the lead-up to the auction. November 5 is the deadline for franchises to submit their player retention lists. Teams must then provide their lists of players entering the auction by November 7. The final date for player registration is November 18, and the official auction list will be released by the BCCI on November 20.

/IANS