Mumbai, Oct 19 (IANS): Mumbai Indians, champions of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023, have retained 13 players including skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for the next edition of the event to be held in 2024.
Besides Harmanpreet, Mumbai has also retained WPL 2023's Most Valuable Player and Purple Cap recipient Hayley Matthews and Emerging Player of the Season Yastika Bhatia along with Player of the Final Natalie Sciver-Brunt.
Mumbai Indians' 13 retained players include five overseas players -- Amelia Kerr, Isabelle Wong and Chloe Tryon besides Hayley Matthews and Natalie Sciver-Brunt.
Heather Graham, Dhara Gujjar, Sonam Yadav and Neelam Bisht have been released from the team as Mumbai Indians spent Rs 11.4 crore with a salary cap of Rs 2.1 crore available to fill the remaining slots. They now have five slots available with one for overseas players.
In all 60 players, including 21 overseas cricketers, were retained across five franchises as the window for the five franchises to retain players came to an end on October 15. At the end of the deadline, 29 players were released from their existing squads, the BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah
Delhi Capitals Women, who lost to Mumbai Indians in the WPL 2023 final, have retained 15 players including five overseas players. The retained players include Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning and Minnu Mani. They spent Rs 11.25 crore and have Rs 2.25 crore remaining.
Gujarat Giants retained the least number of players -- eight, which includes the likes of Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol and Laura Wolvaardt. They have spent just 7. 55 crore and have Rs 5.95 crore remaining in their purse for filling the remaining slots.
The following players were retained & released from the squad:
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Retained Players: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu
Released Players: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris
Gujarat Giants (GG)
Retained Players: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwer
Released Players: Annabel Sutherland*, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham*, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth*, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley*, Sushma Verma
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Retained Players: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humairaa Kaazi, Isabelle Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia
Released Players: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham*, Neelam Bisht, Sonam Yadav
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Retained Players: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*
Released Players: Dané Van Niekerk*, Erin Burns*, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt*, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar
UP Warriorz (UPW)
Retained Players: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S. Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia Mcgrath*
Released Players: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail*, Shivali Shinde, Simran Shaikh.