At the mega auction for Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 in New Delhi today, UP Warriorz pulled off a dramatic move to bring back star all-rounder Deepti Sharma — and in doing so, made history.
Deepti, initially bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) for her base price of ₹50 lakh, became the very first player in WPL history to be retained using the “Right to Match” (RTM) rule. When DC opened with ₹50 lakh and no other bids followed, UP Warriorz signalled their RTM intent — forcing DC to push the bid up to ₹3.2 crore. Not deterred, UP Warriorz matched it and secured Deepti’s services.
This retention makes Deepti only the second Indian in WPL history — after Smriti Mandhana — to command a price north of ₹3 crore. It also marks a substantial rise from the ₹2.6 crore she fetched in the first WPL auction.
Her return comes after a brief release from the squad ahead of the auction, a bold strategy by Warriorz aiming to reset the team and rework their roster with a clean slate.
Deepti’s extraordinary form — especially her all-round brilliance in the recent ODI World Cup, where she was named Player of the Tournament — clearly made her too valuable to lose. Her retention confirms that UP Warriorz see her as a central pillar for their 2026 campaign.
Reference is taken from here