Mallika Sagar: The much-anticipated Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction is all set to commence on 3 pm (IST) on Saturday, December 9 in Mumbai. While this will be the first time WPL will get to experience the dynamics of a mini-auction with the inaugural edition of the tournament held last year, apart from the attention on the players who are likely to break records, there is a lot of talk about Mallika Sagar who will be the auctioneer for the WPL 2024.
It is pertinent to note that Mallika happens to be an art collector based in Mumbai. She is not new to auctions and has worked as an auctioneer for the past two decades. In 2001, she had achieved the unique distinction of being the first-ever woman auctioneer of Indian Origin at Chirstie's. Even among league-based auctions, this won't be the first time that Mallika will be in charge of the bidding war as she has not only been a part of the Pro Kababbdi League auction in 2021, she even conducted the WPL auction last year.
Meanwhile, even though there are reports which claim Mallika could even replace Hugh Edmeades as the auctioneer for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), there is no confirmation on that regard as yet. The auction for IPL 2024 is slated to be held in Dubai on December 19.
WPL 2024 Auction: 165 Players Up For Auction In Mumbai
The WPL 2024 Auction will witness 165 players go under the hammer for a total of 30 spots across five teams. A further breakup of these 165 players is that 104 of them will be Indians and 61 overseas. 15 cricketers in this auction list happen to be from associate nations. The five participating teams in this auction are: Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore with Mumbai being the defending champions.