{"id":2339,"date":"2026-09-30T08:38:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T08:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/30\/wpl-2027-retentions-rcb-mumbai-indians-bold-cuts\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T08:38:28","slug":"wpl-2027-retentions-rcb-mumbai-indians-bold-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/30\/wpl-2027-retentions-rcb-mumbai-indians-bold-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"WPL 2027 Retentions: RCB and Mumbai Indians Make Bold Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>All five Women&#8217;s Premier League (WPL) franchises confirmed their retained player lists for the 2027 season on Monday, setting the stage for the league\u2019s fifth edition, which will run from January 14 to February 7, 2027. The announcements, made ahead of the player auction scheduled for October 28 at the Grand Hyatt in Kochi, revealed a total of 63 retained players and highlighted two high\u2011profile releases: Australian power\u2011hitter Grace Harris from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and young wicket\u2011keeper\u2011batter G\u202fKamalini from Mumbai Indians.<\/p>\n<h2>Retention patterns across the five franchises<\/h2>\n<p>The five teams adopted differing strategies as they prepared for the first auction following the 2026 mega\u2011auction. Gujarat Giants opted for maximum continuity, retaining 15 players \u2013 the highest number among the franchises \u2013 while Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz each kept 11, leaving the most room for new signings. RCB and Delhi Capitals each retained 13 players, and Gujarat\u2019s limited turnover means the team will enter the auction with only three slots to fill.<\/p>\n<p>In total, the retentions create 27 potential squad places across the league, assuming each franchise expands to the permitted maximum of 18 players. Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz have the greatest flexibility, each with seven open spots; RCB and Delhi Capitals have five each; Gujarat Giants can add three more players before the season begins.<\/p>\n<h2>Royal Challengers Bengaluru\u2019s core stays intact, but Grace Harris departs<\/h2>\n<p>Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained 13 players, preserving the nucleus that delivered the title last season. Captain Smriti\u202fMandhana remains at the helm, flanked by a mix of international stars and Indian talent: Ellyse\u202fPerry, Richa\u202fGhosh, Shreyanka\u202fPatil, Georgia\u202fVoll, Nadine\u202fde\u202fKlerk, Lauren\u202fBell, Radha\u202fYadav, Prema\u202fRawat, Arundhati\u202fReddy, Pooja\u202fVastrakar, K\u202fPrathyoosha and Sayali\u202fSatghare.<\/p>\n<p>Ellyse\u202fPerry, who missed the 2026 campaign for personal reasons, has confirmed her availability for 2027, giving RCB additional flexibility in overseas player allocation. The franchise\u2019s overseas contingent now consists of Perry, Voll, Bell and de\u202fKlerk, all of whom are part of the retained group.<\/p>\n<p>The most notable departure from RCB\u2019s roster is Australian all\u2011rounder Grace\u202fHarris. Alongside Harris, England spinner Linsey\u202fSmith and Indian duo Dayalam\u202fHemlatha and Gautami\u202fNaik were also released. Head coach Malolan\u202fRangarajan explained that Perry\u2019s return opened up space to restructure the squad, allowing the team to retain a balanced mix of experience and emerging talent while freeing up overseas slots for the upcoming auction.<\/p>\n<h2>Mumbai Indians trim squad, release G\u202fKamalini<\/h2>\n<p>Two\u2011time champions Mumbai Indians retained 11 players, keeping the bulk of their international core intact. Captain Harmanpreet\u202fKaur leads a group that includes Nat\u202fSciver\u2011Brunt, Hayley\u202fMatthews, Amelia\u202fKerr, Amanjot\u202fKaur, Nicola\u202fCarey, Shabnim\u202fIsmail, S\u202fSajana, Sanskriti\u202fGupta, Rahila\u202fFirdous and Vaishnai\u202fSharma.<\/p>\n<p>The franchise\u2019s decision to release G\u202fKamalini has attracted particular attention because she was among the five players Mumbai retained ahead of the 2026 mega\u2011auction. Kamalini\u2019s exit, along with the releases of Saika\u202fIshaque, Poonam\u202fKhemnar, Triveni\u202fVasistha, Nalla\u202fReddy and Milly\u202fIllingworth, creates ample room for the team to add depth at the October auction. Notably, Vaishnavi, who joined the squad as an injury replacement during the previous season, has now secured a retained spot for 2027.<\/p>\n<h2>Delhi Capitals hold fast to their heavyweight core<\/h2>\n<p>Delhi Capitals also retained 13 players, preserving the backbone of a side that reached the WPL final last season. Captain Jemimah\u202fRodrigues leads a lineup featuring Shefali\u202fVerma, Marizanne\u202fKapp, Annabel\u202fSutherland, Laura\u202fWolvaardt, Chenille\u202fHenry, Niki\u202fPrasad, Minnu\u202fMani, Nandini\u202fSharma, N\u202fSree\u202fCharani, Deeya\u202fYadav, Mamatha\u202fMadiwala and Lucy\u202fHamilton.<\/p>\n<p>The Capitals released six players: Lizelle\u202fLee, Sneh\u202fRana, Alana\u202fKing, Taniyaa\u202fBhatia, Pragati\u202fSingh and Eddla\u202fSrujana. Head coach Jonathan\u202fBetty stated that the franchise\u2019s primary aim entering the auction is to enhance an already solid starting XI rather than embark on a wholesale rebuild.<\/p>\n<h2>UP Warriorz reshuffle supporting cast<\/h2>\n<p>UP Warriorz retained 11 players, including captain Meg\u202fLanning, all\u2011rounder Deepti\u202fSharma, England\u2019s Sophie\u202fEcclestone, Australian prodigy Phoebe\u202fLitchfield, and Indian bowlers Shikha\u202fPandey, Harleen\u202fDeol, Kranti\u202fGaud, Pratika\u202fRawal, Shipra\u202fGiri, Simran\u202fShaikh and Tara\u202fNorris.<\/p>\n<p>The team released six players: Shweta\u202fSherawat, Kiran\u202fNavgire, Asha\u202fSobhana, Deandra\u202fDottin, Chole\u202fTryon and Amy\u202fJones. Sherawat\u2019s departure is notable because she was UP Warriorz\u2019s only retention before the 2026 mega\u2011auction, while the exits of Dottin, Tryon and Jones free up experienced overseas slots for the upcoming auction.<\/p>\n<h2>Gujarat Giants prioritize stability<\/h2>\n<p>Gujarat Giants pursued the most conservative approach, retaining 15 players \u2013 the largest contingent among the five clubs. The retained overseas core includes captain Ashleigh\u202fGardner, Beth\u202fMooney, Sophie\u202fDevine, Georgia\u202fWareham and Kim\u202fGarth. Indian retainments feature Renuka\u202fSingh, Yastika\u202fBhatia, Bharti\u202fFulmali, Kashvee\u202fGautam, Kanika\u202fAhuja, Tanuja\u202fKanwar, Rajeshwari\u202fGayakwad, Anushka\u202fSharma, Happy\u202fKumari and Jintimani\u202fKalita.<\/p>\n<p>Only four players were released: Danny\u202fWyatt\u2011Hodge, Titas\u202fSadhu, Aayushi\u202fSoni and Shivani\u202fSingh. The minimal turnover leaves Gujarat with the smallest rebuilding task, allowing the franchise to focus the auction on filling specific gaps rather than overhauling the squad.<\/p>\n<p>Collectively, the retention decisions underscore a mix of continuity and strategic pruning as teams position themselves for the October 28 auction. While Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals appear intent on fine\u2011tuning an already strong core, RCB and Mumbai Indians have opted for more pronounced changes, releasing marquee players to free up overseas slots and create flexibility. The upcoming auction in Kochi will determine how each franchise balances the desire for stability with the need to address identified weaknesses, shaping the competitive landscape for the 2027 WPL season.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All five Women&#8217;s Premier League franchises announced their 2027 retentions, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru releasing Grace Harris and Mumbai Indians parting with G\u202fKamalini ahead of the October 28 auction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[2552,1524,2551,2553,2550],"class_list":["post-2339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-auction","tag-mumbai-indians","tag-player-retentions","tag-rcb","tag-wpl","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}