Out of 120 players, four players hail from associate cricket nations
The Women’s Premier League 2025 mini-auction is set to go live on December 15 from 3 p.m. onwards in Bengaluru. This year, 120 players have registered for the auction and are set to go under the hammer to be purchased by five different WPL franchises. Among an array of players from full-time cricket-playing nations, four names stand out, given they belong to associate cricket-playing nations that have the chance to represent their nations in India’s domestic T20 circuit.
Check out the four players from associate nations who have registered for the WPL mini-auction.
Hailing from the United Arab Emirates, Theertha Satish has lived in Dubai since her childhood, because of which she represents the Emirates. The 20-year-old left-hand batter, who is also a wicketkeeper, has played 75 international T20 matches, scoring 1,651 runs at an average of 30.57 and a strike rate of 111.17.
Satish has no experience playing in any of the top T20I domestic leagues around the world except for the FairBreak Invitational Tournament, but with a base price of INR 10 lakh, she may find a place in one of the teams. Even if she doesn’t get playing time, a time with global cricketers in the dressing room will definitely help her go a long way.
Another player hailing from the United Arab Emirates, Samaira Dharnidharka is a 17-year-old bowling all-rounder who has 62 international matches up her sleeves. To be honest, the number is quite a lot given she is only 17, even though she has not played much against the best of teams. In 62 matches, she has chucked 43 wickets and hit 209 runs.
Having not played T20 matches for any of the other domestic leagues, experience may not be on her side, but those 62 matches could force teams to look at her. It would be great to see Samaira getting picked, but in our opinion, we don’t see bidding coming for her.
24-year-old Sarah Jennifer Bryce is a wicketkeeper-cum-batter from Scotland. In the inaugural season of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2020, Sarah was the tourney’s second-highest run-scorer, having scored five consecutive 50s and missing a half-century in only the sixth game. Great against spin and also behind the stumps, Sarah has played 58 international T20 matches for Scotland, amassing 1,290 runs at a strike rate of 106.52. Sarah has also played in the Women’s Big Bash League and the Hundred Women’s Competition, having appeared in 42 games and scored over 500 runs.
Recently, Ireland achieved a historic milestone by defeating Bangladesh in a T20I series, and in that series, 22-year-old Orla Prendergast was one of the stars. In the series, she picked ten wickets, including two three-fors and a career-best 4 for 22 in the third match. In 60 T20I matches, she scored 1,220 runs, whereas with the ball, she picked 43 wickets. With a base price of INR 30 lakh, Orla could be an impactful purchase.
