England’s captain Heather Knight, along with bowlers Lauren Bell and Issy Wong, have been let go by their Women’s Premier League (WPL) teams ahead of the 2025 season. Both Knight, 33, and Bell, 23, opted out of the 2024 season to prioritise England’s tour of New Zealand. Knight, who scored 135 runs in 2023, has been released by the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Bell has parted ways with UP Warriorz, coached by England’s Jon Lewis.
Wong, 22, who had a strong performance in the 2023 season with 15 wickets in 10 matches, took only three wickets in two games in 2024 for the Mumbai Indians and will not return to the team. On the other hand, Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked T20 bowler, remains with UP Warriorz, and Nat Sciver-Brunt continues with Mumbai Indians. Delhi Capitals has retained all-rounder Alice Capsey, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru holds on to Kate Cross.
Another notable shift includes opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s move from UP Warriorz to RCB, securing a contract worth 30 lakh rupees (£27,400). Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce has been released by Gujarat Giants, contributing to the list of players departing from their teams.
In total, 71 players, including 25 internationals, have been retained across teams. This leaves 19 open spots, five of which can be filled by overseas players, to be determined at the upcoming auction.
WPL 2025 Team Retention and Release List
Delhi Capitals
- Retained: Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu.
- Released: Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari, Laura Harris, Poonam Yadav.
Gujarat Giants
- Retained: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Bharti Fulmali, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Laura Wolvaardt, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Phoebe Litchfield, Priya Mishra, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakil, Tanuja Kanwer.
- Released: Kathryn Bryce, Lauren Cheatle, Lea Tahuhu, Sneh Rana, Tarannum Pathan, Trisha Poojitha, Veda Krishnamurthy.
Mumbai Indians
- Retained: Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, S. Sajana, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, Yastika Bhatia.
- Released: Fatima Jaffer, Humairaa Kaazi, Issy Wong, Priyanka Bala.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Retained: Asha Shobana, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Ekta Bisht, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Kate Cross, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S. Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux.
- Released: Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shraddha Pokarkar, Shubha Satheesh, Simran Bahadur.
UP Warriorz
- Retained: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Gouher Sultana, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Poonam Khemnar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Uma Chetry, Vrinda Dinesh.
- Released: Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, S. Yashasri, Lauren Bell.
The WPL 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting season as teams finalise their rosters, and fans await new talents joining through the auction.