In the WPL 2026 mega auction (held on 27 Nov 2025 in New Delhi), Deepti Sharma entered with a base price of ₹50 lakh.
Initially, Delhi Capitals (DC) placed a bid and “won” her at that base price.
However, UP Warriorz had saved a “Right-to-Match” (RTM) card. They used the RTM to match DC’s bid — triggering a bidding war.
DC increased their bid to ₹3.2 crore. UP Warriorz immediately matched that bid — thereby “buying back” Deepti Sharma for ₹3.2 crore.
📈 Significance: What this means for Deepti & UP Warriorz:
The ₹3.2 crore bid makes Deepti Sharma one of the most expensive players in WPL history — in fact the second-highest priced player ever in the league.
Her price jumped significantly compared with her earlier auction: she was originally bought by UP Warriorz in 2023 for ₹2.60 crore.
This aggressive re-acquisition underscores how much UP Warriorz value her — likely due to her excellent recent form, including her performance in the 2025 Women’s World Cup.
🎯 Why UP Warriorz went all-in: Context & Strategy?
Ahead of the 2026 mega auction, UP Warriorz had released many of their top players (including Deepti Sharma), retaining only a handful, with the aim of re-building their squad and starting with a large purse + multiple RTM cards.
But once bidding for Deepti started, her recent ‘Player of Tournament’ status (from the 2025 ODI World Cup) and her all-rounder skills made her highly in demand — so UP Warriorz used RTM to ensure she remains with them.
For UP Warriorz the move signals both ambition and belief: they see Deepti as central to their squad’s core, worth high investment.
