England’s Heather Knight among eight players in Women’s Premier League auction

England captain Heather Knight is one of 120 players set to participate in the Women’s Premier League auction on Sunday. Knight was released by the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in November. The 33-year-old batter is one of eight English players available to the five WPL teams. The other seven include seamer Lauren Bell, who was released by UP Warriorz; batters Maia Boucher, Sophia Dunkley, and Paige Scholfield; leg-spinner Sarah Glenn; all-rounder Danielle Gibson; and fast bowler Lauren Filer. However, Issy Wong, despite taking a hat-trick in last year’s final, is not included on the auction list after being released by Mumbai Indians. Among the 29 international players in the auction, 12 are Australian, including Amanda-Jade Wellington, Kim Garth, Laura Harris, Alana King, and Darcie Brown. West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin and Lizelle Lee, the big-hitting former opener for South Africa, are also among the notable players available. Regarding Indian players hoping to secure a contract, Sneh Rana and Poonam Yadav are among the prominent names. There are 19 slots to be filled at the auction, with five reserved for overseas players. Five English players – Alice Capsey (Delhi Capitals), Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians), Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Kate Cross (both Royal Challengers Bengaluru), and Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz) – were retained by their respective teams last month.