Top Indian names to look out for in the WPL 2024 auction

They say that no matter how good your overseas players are, the Indian players make a significant difference in terms of winning you the coveted trophy. As we head into the Women’s Premier League 2024 auction all set to take place in Mumbai, there will be quite a few Indian players waiting to be picked.

Before the gavel goes up and down, here’s a quick look at the top Indian talent on offer - from hard-hitters of the cherry to crafty bowlers, five names who could attract the biggest bids at the the WPL 2024 auction.

1.    Gautami Naik

A tall and lanky all-rounder who is extremely versatile in terms of her batting position can be a big name to watch out for when it comes to the auction. Apart from her roaring displays in the lesser-known tournaments, she forged a towering partnership with Yastika Bhatia for Baroda. With 264 runs from five innings scored at a strike rate of 132.66, she was the fifth highest run-getter in the recently concluded Women’s T20 Trophy.

2.    Devika Vaidya

Her recent runs in the international circuit makes her quite a name to watch out for when it comes to the shorter format of the game. Her figures of 3/30 against Bangladesh in July while playing in the latter’s backyard was a testimony to her ability of wreaking havoc on her heyday. In the recently concluded Asian Games, she was very economical in the finale where she conceded just 15 runs at an economy rate of 3.75 in a low-scoring affair.

3.    Kashvee Gautam

A tall hard-hitting all-rounder impressing with her clinical fast bowling and an eye for producing the masterpieces under some tremendous pressure, Kashvee Gautam can be a big name to watch out for after going unsold in the previous year’s auction. A record holder in women’s circuit, Kashvee registered a hat-trick in an one-dayer for Chandigarh against Arunachal Pradesh in the women’s domestic U19 competition. Sharpening her flair ahead of the mega-auction, in the recently concluded Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she went on to amass 12 wickets at an economy rate of 4.14. She was also a part of the Indian squad in the ACC Emerging tournament in Hong Kong.

4.    Vrinda Dinesh

A local talent who has been scaling new heights for the past two years in the threads of Karnataka, Vrinda Dinesh is one batter who is very hard to ignore when it comes to being consistent in the women’s circuit. Vrinda didn’t make the cut for the ACC Emerging Teams Cup initially but being brought in as a replacement for S Yashasri, Vrinda made her first appearance in the tournament in the grand finale. Scoring 36 off 29 balls on a very sluggish surface, Vrinda grabbed the eyeballs straightaway. She played a pivotal role in Karnataka’s run to the final of the Senior Women’s ODI trophy earlier in the year, scoring 477 runs in 11 innings at an average of 47.70 which was also inclusive of an all-important 81 against Rajasthan.

5.    Mannat Kashyap

Kashyap’s initial introduction to limelight was by producing a run-out at the non-striker’s end. But then when we hunker down to the technical analysis of this young crafty spinner, she is touted as one of those old-school turners who likes to give her deliveries a nice rip. Alongside those revs up front, she laces them up with these very subtle deceptions making good use of angles and the crease. Despite not being in the list of favourites to start the tournament, when she got the chance, she claimed a crucial four-fer against Scotland in the U19 World Cup. Her haul of nine wickets from six games were the second highest for India behind Parshavi Chopra. She was also elemental in defining India’s victory in the ACC Emerging final, claiming figures of 3/20.