Several well-known players from India's World Cup-winning team will stay with their teams. The five franchises kept a lot of big-name players, including Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India; Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain; Jemimah Rodrigues; and Shafali Verma.

The Mumbai Indians, who are the defending champions, and the Delhi Capitals, who have been to the finals three times, have both chosen to keep the most players allowed, which is five. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have kept four, the Gujarat Giants have kept two, and the UP Warriorz have kept just one.

WPL Retention 2026

The Mumbai Indians lead with Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amanjot Kaur, Hayley Matthews, and young all-rounder G. Kamalini. Delhi Capitals retained Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, and uncapped talent Niki Prasad, notably releasing captain Meg Lanning. RCB's core includes Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil. Gujarat Giants retained overseas stars Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney while releasing Laura Wolvaardt and Phoebe Litchfield.

UP Warriorz retained only uncapped batter Shweta Sehrawat, resulting in the largest auction purse of 14.5 crore rupees. This shocking move released Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Chenille Henry, and Alana King into the auction pool. Major international players Alyssa Healy and Amelia Kerr also enter the bidding.

Each franchise receives a 15 crore rupee purse, with five-player retentions costing 9.25 crore. DC and MI retain 5.75 crore for auction acquisitions. The November auction introduces Right-to-Match cards, enabling teams to reclaim former players. This unprecedented move promises dramatic reshuffles across franchises competing in WPL 2026.

Mumbai Indians retention

Delhi Capitals retention