Malika Advani has been named auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League auction on February 13.
The BCCI has named Malika Advani as the auctioneer for the first-ever Women’s Premier League auction, which will take place on February 13. According to reports, Malika will be seen with the hammer on the day of the auction. Malika is a Mumbai-based art collector consultant for Modern and Contemporary Indian art and partner in Art India Consultants firm.
Previously, the IPL auctions were conducted by Richard Madley, Charu Sharma, and Hugh Edmeades, but the WPL auction will be conducted by Malika.
“The franchisees are reminded of the WPL squad rules in terms of minimum (15) and maximum (18) squad size, minimum squad spend (INR 9 crore), and maximum number of overseas players in the squad (6),” the BCCI stated.
A total of 409 players will be auctioned off with starting bids ranging from NR 50 lakh to INR 40 lakh, INR 30 lakh to INR 20 lakh, and INR 10 lakh. 246 Indian and 163 overseas players (including eight from associate nations) have been classified as marquee players, batters, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers, spin bowlers, and emerging players, based on their specialisation and age.
On the day of the auction, BCCI has also decided to provide a 10-minute strategy break every hour.
“Following the conclusion of each set, there may (at the Auctioneer’s discretion) be a short break to allow franchises time to re-evaluate tactics. The Auctioneer will announce the length of each break at the end of the relevant set.
After each break, a warning bell will sound two minutes before the Player Auction resumes. The Player Auction will resume immediately following each break. “It is expected that these short breaks will total at least 10 minutes in each hour of the Player Auction proceedings,” BCCI stated.
Some of the players who have registered for the highest base price include Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine, and Deandra Dottin (INR 50 lakh). While 30 players have signed up with a starting price of INR 40 lakh.
The auction will take place at the Jasmine Hall, 1, JIO World Convention Centre, and will begin at 2.30 PM. At 8 p.m. on February 12, BCCI will host a pre-auction briefing for all franchises.
