Mumbai, Nov 24 (IANS): The Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction, ahead of the 2024 season, will be held on December 9 in Mumbai, said the tournament through its social media accounts on Friday.

The second season of the WPL is expected to take place in the February-March window in 2024. But the BCCI has not officially announced the dates of WPL season two, nor given any clarity on the tournament venues – either to be held in one city, like Mumbai hosted the entire inaugural season in three stadiums, or in several venues via the traditional home-and-away format.

On October 19, a total of sixty players, including 21 international cricketers, were retained by the five teams – Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Giants, UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore, while 29 cricketers were released into the auction pool, where 30 player slots will be filled.

South Africa’s tearaway pacer Shabnim Ismail and all-rounder Dan van Niekerk, Australia trio of pacer Megan Schutt, leg-spinner Georgia Wareham and all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, England’s opener Sophia Dunkley will be in the WPL auction pool.

Delhi Capitals, the 2023 WPL runners-up, will enter 2024 WPL auction with a purse of INR 2.25 crores and aim to fill up to three slots. Gujarat Giants, who released more than half of their team, have a purse of INR 5.95 crores, the largest amongst all five teams, to fill ten vacancies.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians must fill five slots with a purse of INR 2.1 crores in the auction, while Royal Challengers Bangalore have seven vacant slots, with INR 3.35 crores in hand. Warriorz will have INR 4 crores purse at the auction to fill in five slots.