The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction is scheduled to occur on November 27 and will be immediately succeeded by another grand sports battle for the best players’ bids, namely the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, on December 16.
The IPL and WPL tournaments have an identical negative and positive effect on the Indian cricketing system, and the pool of talented cricketers that these tournaments have produced has represented our country at the topmost levels. The commencement of both the cricketing carnivals is marked by the glamorous player bidding battle.
With the WPL auction and IPL auction dates drawing near, let’s discuss an exhaustive comparison of the two tournaments through various angles like rules they follow, purse size and many more.
WPL Auction vs IPL Auction: Key changes
It is often said that teams have already won half the battle by the time the auction table is reached since it decides the strengths and weaknesses of their squads and enables them to cover the gaps of the previous season. Taking the importance of the auction into account, the teams make plans for months to ensure they are the ones with the strongest roster at the auction.
Now, let’s check out how the IPL and WPL auctions differ from each other in detail.
| Category | WPL Retention Rules | IPL Retention Rules |
|---|---|---|
| No. of max retention | 5 players | 6 players |
| Breakdown of Retentions | Up to 3 capped Indian, 2 uncapped Indian, 2 overseas | Up to 5 capped Indian + overseas, 2 uncapped Indian |
| Retention Slabs | ₹3.5 cr, ₹2.5 cr, ₹1.75 cr, ₹1 cr, ₹50 lakh | ₹18 cr, ₹14 cr, ₹11 cr, ₹8 cr, ₹6 cr |
| Total Deduction for Maximum Retention | ₹9.25 crore | ₹75 crore |
| Team Purse Size | ₹15 crore | ₹120 crore |
| RTM (Right to Match) Cards Available | Depends on number of players retained | Depends on number of players retained |
| RTM Deduction Rule | Lose 1 RTM for each player retained | Lose 1 RTM for each player retained |
Amount of purse
The IPL 2026 auction with ten teams has an overall money pool of 120 crores, from which they will have a minimum of 90 crores to be spent on a team of 18 players, while the number of players can go up to 25.
Read Also:- Sunrisers Hyderabad Possible Target Players in the Upcoming IPL Auction
On the contrary, in the WPL auction 2026, every one of the five teams is given a total purse of 15 crores. The franchises will have to select between 15-18 players for their team.
No of Overseas Players
The foreign players’ quota for the WPL is not the same as the IPL. In the expensive IPL, teams can have a maximum of eight players in their squad and four in the playing 11.
The situation is quite contrary in the WPL, where the foreign players’ quota is given to each team is 6 with 4 in the playing XI.Mode of selection: Besides the player auctions, the teams may also attract some players through the signing of contracts
