During the WPL 2026 auction, Alyssa Healy was the first player to go under the hammer. She struggled with her fitness since last year's T20 World Cup and was also seen in off colours in the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season
Alyssa Healy (Pic: File Pic)
Ahead of the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction, Australia's star wicketkeeper-batswoman, Alyssa Healy, went unsold on Thursday.
Speaking on Healy going unsold, UP Warriorz (UPW) head coach Abhishek Sharma said that many teams in the league preferred picking up all-rounders, and the limit to include just four overseas players also made it difficult to bid for her.
"Alyssa Healy going unsold was surprising for different reasons. When you're allowed only four overseas players [in the XI], your options are limited, and many teams prefer all-rounders in their set-up. It's a tough situation for someone of her stature," Nayar said as per ESPNcricinfo.
During the WPL 2026 auction, she was the first player to go under the hammer. She struggled with her fitness since last year's T20 World Cup and was also seen in off colours in the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season.
In the 2023 auction of the WPL, Healy's services were acquired by UP Warriorz for Rs 70 lakh.
Anya Shrubsole, who is the assistant coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), believed Healy did not fit in RCB's combination.
"We have a very strong top order, and Georgia Voll gives us some offspin as well. With Richa Ghosh [as a wicketkeeper-batter] in the top five, going for Healy didn't make sense for us," Shrubsole said.
The 35-year-old Australian cricketer entered the auction at a base price of Rs 50 lakh after being released by UPW. Currently, she is representing the Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League. In the concluded ODI Women's World Cup 2025, Healy also smashed consecutive centuries against Team India and Bangladesh.
Star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who won the Player of the Tournament in the Women's World Cup 2025, got the highest bid in the WPL 2026 auction. She was picked up by UP Warriorz, using the Right to Match (RTM) card.
She was bought for a whopping Rs 3.20 crore, making her the second-highest-paid Indian women's player in WPL history after RCB captain Smriti Mandhana's Rs 3.40 crore in the Women's Premier League 2023 auction.
(With ANI Inputs)
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