Sciver-Brunt becomes one of UK's highest-paid sportswomen in first WPL auction

13 February 2023 , 20:19

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Nat Sciver-Brunt has become one of Britain's highest-paid sportswomen (Image: Jan Kruger-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

England cricket star Nat Sciver-Brunt has become one of Britain's highest paid sportswomen thanks to the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction.

The five franchises picked their squads from 409 cricketers, including 27 from England. The Mumbai Indians acquired the Englishwoman’s services for approximately £320,000 to compete in the sister competition of the wildly successful Indian Premier League.

In October 2022, the BCCI announced that they were considering a five-team tournament which would take place in March of this year. Across the five franchises, 90 slots were available, with 30 places reserved for overseas players - six per franchise and each team was given a budget of approximately £1.2million.

The new tournament was informally known as the Women's Indian Premier League but last month the BCCI officially named it the Women's Premier League. Its debut season will feature five franchises with a total of 22 matches at the Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

Mumbai beat the UP Warriorz to sign Sciver-Brunt, and she will be joined by the likes of England teammate Issy Wong and West Indies star all-rounder Hayley Matthews. It was not all doom and gloom for the Warriorz as they snapped up England spin bowler Sophie Ecclestone for £180,000, with England coach Jon Lewis at the helm of the side.

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The Warriorz swooped in to sign the 23-year-old at the 11th hour, beating the Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals and will be joined by her teammate Lauren Bell after a late bid was put for the 22-year-old of £30,000. England opener Sophia Dunkley was bought by Giants for £60,000 while all-rounder Alice Capsey heads to the Delhi Capitals after being sold for £75,000.

The skipper of the national side Heather Knight is heading to Royal Challengers Bangalore after an opening bid of £40,000. There was no place for no bids for Nat’s teammate and wife Katherine, as well as Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Glenn, Danni Wyatt and Freya Davies.

Nat Sciver-Brunt is one of UK's highest paid sportswomen after a mega move in the inaugural cricket Women's Premier League (Jan Kruger-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

The England players were left to decide whether they would follow the draw in the immediate build-up to their T20 World Cup match or find out afterwards, which Knight admitted was a slightly strange situation.

"It was very weird actually," the England captain said. "We tried to have a team meeting before we got on the bus and all the Indians were watching it in our hotel and we had to move the meeting because there was lots of cheering.

"So it was strange and something we'd never experienced and you don't often get it in the men's game when it's on matchday, so it was all (about) trying to manage it as best we could. (We were) trying to do what individuals wanted and also trying to (keep) our main focus on the game."

Liam Llewellyn