It will go down as a momentous date in the history of women’s cricket – Monday, 13 February 2023 was the day the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction sprinkled a fairy dust of riches on female cricketers, the like of which has never been seen before.
Three and a half hours before England took to the field against Ireland in their T20 Women’s World Cup head-to-head, eventually chasing down the target of 106 for their second win of the tournament, three of their players had been picked up in the opening round of the auction – Sophia Dunkley for £60,000 and Sophie Ecclestone for £180,000, while Nat Sciver-Brunt’s worth was finalised at a staggering £320,000 – the joint-highest (with Australia’s Ash Gardner) of any non-Indian player. In all, seven England players picked up deals with the five franchises.
Given that central contracts for England Women are worth a maximum of about £60,000 and that before Monday the best-paid franchise league in the world was the Hundred, which caps women’s salaries at £31,250, these are incredible sums. Nat Sciver-Brunt will almost certainly be the best-paid female team athlete in the UK this year.
The England captain, Heather Knight, said she had spent the period before the game avoiding the auction – “I put my headphones in and put my phone on aeroplane mode” – but was unsurprised to learn of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s price tag after the match. “She’s one of the best, if not the best cricketer in the world,” she said. “She’s at the top of her game.”
Might all this have proved a distraction from England’s World Cup campaign? They wobbled en route to their target – Nat Sciver-Brunt holed out to long-off while Knight was bowled making a mess of a sweep. But one player was inspired by the unique and bizarre situation: Ecclestone, who knew going into the game that she had been bought for a pretty sum. “She’s someone that really thrives on that pressure,” Knight said.
So it proved – the left-armer finishing with three for 13, including a double wicket-maiden, and taking an impressive diving catch at mid-off to see off Louise Little.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
Mumbai Indians, £320,000
Sophie Ecclestone
UP Warriorz, £180,000
Alice Capsey
Delhi Capitals, £75,000
Sophia Dunkley
Gujarat Giants, £60,000
Heather Knight
Royal Challengers Bangalore, £40,000
Issy Wong
Mumbai Indians, £30,000
Lauren Bell
UP Warriorz, £30,000
Unsold
Dani Wyatt, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones, Charlotte Dean, Tammy Beaumont, Freya Davies, Sarah Glenn, Maia Bouchier, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson Richards, Katie George, Emma Lamb, Bryony Smith, Natasha Farrant, Kirstie Gordon, Alexandra Hartley, Linsey Smith, Mady Villiers, Emily Arlott, Grace Scrivens, Katie Levick, Georgia Adams, Hollie Armitage
Top five deals
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Royal Challengers Bangalore, £340,000
Ashleigh Gardner (Australia)
Gujarat Giants, £320,000
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
Mumbai Indians, £320,000
Deepti Sharma (India)
UP Warriorz, £260,000
Jemimah Rodrigues (India)
Delhi Capitals, £220,000
An hour after bagging herself a £75,000 deal in round two of the auction, Alice Capsey was smashing her way to a 21-ball half-century (the joint-fastest in a World Cup) – sealed with a six as England scored a mammoth 69 runs in the opening six overs. With 34 balls and four wickets to spare, Katherine Sciver-Brunt sealed the win with a boundary slammed through the covers.
Ireland had started aggressively, putting on 42 runs in the powerplay after choosing to bat. Gaby Lewis swept her way to 36, though she was given two let-offs, put down by Danni Wyatt at point on four, before Sarah Glenn missed out on a sharp caught-and-bowled chance.
Wyatt redeemed herself by snaffling Lewis in the deep, sparking an collapse from 80 for two in the 12th, to 105 all out in the 19th. England had once again chosen to field three frontline spinners and with Glenn (three for 19) and Charlie Dean (two for 26) contributing to the collapse that strategy paid off in abundance.
By the time the match concluded, so had the auction, with Knight purchased for £40,000 in the second round. “Being involved in the inaugural one will be really special,” she said. “I wasn’t really expecting to get picked up.”
She stressed the need for her team to regroup after a “strange” day. “It’s about getting back together and focusing on what we’re here to do – try and win a World Cup.”
Next stop, Gqeberha, where England play India on Saturday.
