Uncapped Indians Kashvee, Vrinda break the bank
Both Vrinda and Kashvee had recently featured for India A in their three-match series against England A.
Vrinda Dinesh
MUMBAI: Punjab pacer Kashvee Gautam fetched a winning bid of Rs 2 crore from Gujarat Giants to become the costliest uncapped India player while the Australians were the most sought after lot among the overseas players at the WPL auction here on Saturday.
The 20-year-old’s base price was Rs 10 lakh as both Gujarat and UP Warriorz bid for Kashvee, before the former managed to secure her services for the second edition of WPL.
In another big payday for an uncapped Indian cricketer, UP Warriorz bid Rs 1.3 crore for 22-year-old Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh.
Both Vrinda and Kashvee had recently featured for India A in their three-match series against England A.
In the early stages of the auction, Australian cricketers attracted the highest bids with all-rounder Annabel Sutherland being sold to Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore and batter Phoebe Litchfield to Gujarat for Rs 1 crore.
Kashvee Gautam
The 22-year-old Sutherland was released by Gujarat after the inaugural edition of WPL held in March this year. She attracted bids from defending champion Mumbai Indians but it pulled out, with the player eventually going to the Capitals.
Gujarat went for the left-handed 20-year-old Litchfield who has made her debut across formats for Australia.
South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail was added to Mumbai Indians squad for Rs 1.20 crore, three times her base price.
“Shabnim is the fastest bowler currently in women’s cricket. She has vast amounts of experience, we wanted an out and out pacer,” said Mumbai Indians’ mentor and bowling coach Jhulan Goswami.
UP Warriorz also added England batter Dani Wyatt to its roster at a base price of Rs 30 lakh. This will be the first appearance in WPL for the 32-year-old who recently completed 150 T20s for her country.
Royal Challengers Bangalore went for Australia’s Georgia Wareham, paying Rs 40 lakh for the deal. Wareham had played in the last edition for Gujarat. RCB also bought England’s Kate Cross for Rs 30 lakh and the 37-year-old Indian spinner Ekta Bisht for Rs 60 lakh, two times her base price.
