Parunika Sisodia strikes biggest paycheck as Pratika Rawal pulls out of DPL 2026 auction

New Delhi: Former India under-19 left-arm spinner Parunika Sisodia, a key member of the Delhi's senior state side, emerged as the most expensive pick in the Women's Delhi Premier League 2026 auction even as senior India star Pratika Rawal pulled out of it due to national commitments.

Parunika Sisodia, bought by East Delhi Riders, was the most expensive buy at Rs 14 lakh, a lakh clear of Tanisha Singh who was retained at Rs 13 lakh by South Delhi Superstarz. Tanisha is currently in England with the India A team.

Nazma emerged the third most expensive player in Women's DPL 2026 -- retained by North Delhi Strikers for Rs 12.5 lakh. All three players -- Parunika, Tanisha and Nazma are products of the RP Cricket Academy and train there as well.

On Wednesday, that is the day of the auction, East Delhi Riders strengthened their squad not just with Parunika Sisodia but also with former India player Simran Dil Bahadur, while Central Delhi Queens added Arushi Goel to partner retained marquee all-rounder Soni Yadav.

North Delhi Strikers also bolstered their bowling attack with Priya Mishra alongside retained marquee player Ayushi Soni, while South Delhi Superstarz signed former India batter Priya Punia, complementing former India U-19 player Shweta Sehrawat.

According to an official, Pratika had to pull out as the India women's senior team will have a preparatory camp ahead of the Asian Games. The Games begin on September 19. Pratika isn't part of India's Asian Games squad but she may have to attend the camp. 

Franchises also strategically exercised their Right to Match (RTM) cards to retain proven performers from last season. East Delhi Riders brought back Pragya Rawat for Rs 7 lakh, while North Delhi Strikers used RTM to re-sign all-rounder Samaira Raghav for Rs 7 lakh.

By the end of the auction, all four franchises assembled balanced squads featuring a blend of experienced performers and promising young talent, setting the stage for a highly competitive edition of the DPL T20 2026 Women’s competition.

The DPL 2026 women’s auction witnessed intense bidding wars, strategic Right to Match (RTM) moves and marquee signings, reflecting the growing stature of the league and the increasing value attached to women’s cricket in the capital.

Notably, the marquee player pool attracted considerable interest.

The top 11 costliest players of Women's DPL are:

Parunika Sisodia – East Delhi Riders – Rs 14 lakh (Bought at auction)

Tanisha Singh -- South Delhi Superstarz -- Rs 13 lakh (Retained ahead of the auction)

Nazma -- North Delhi Strikers -- Rs 12.5 lakh (Retained ahead of the auction)

Shweta Sehrawat -- South Delhi Superstarz -- Rs 11.55 lakh (Retained ahead of the auction)

Arushi Goel – Central Delhi Queens – Rs 11 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Sumiti Soni – Central Delhi Queens – Rs Rs 8 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Simran Dil Bahadur – East Delhi Riders – Rs 8 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Nidhi Mahto -- Central Delhi Queens -- Rs 7.75 lakh (Retained ahead of the auction)

Purva Siwach – East Delhi Riders – Rs 7 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Samaira Raghav – North Delhi Strikers – Rs 7 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Pragya Rawat - East Delhi Riders - ₹7 lakh (Bought at the auction)

Complete Squads

Central Delhi Queens: Soni Yadav, Arushi Goel, Monika, Deeksha Sharma, Nidhi Mahto, Sumiti Soni, Medhavi Bidhuri, Ritisha Khushi, Nidhi Tanwar, Kanika Mathur, R Priyadarshni, Riya Kondal, Saachi, Jyoti, Mallika Khatri, Neha Parmar, Puja Halder, Akshita Jain, Nishtha Bisht, Kashvi Kumar, Chelcy Yadav, Tanu Chauhan.

East Delhi Riders: Parunika Sisodia, Simran Dil Bahadur, Bharti Rawal, Pragya Rawat, Purva Siwach, Vanshika Lila, Aarna Dudeja, Goyinka Sharma, Mahi Chauhan, Nilanchal Nerwal, Sonakshi, Tamanna Singh, Suhana Attri, Ishika, Riti Tomar, Hridya Sharma, Neha Chhillar, Urvashi Gupta, Jasleen Kaur, Geet Rarhana, Yashasvi Dhiman, Rajshri Yadav.

North Delhi Strikers: Ayushi Soni, Priya Mishra, Nazma, Upasana Yadav, Riya Shokeen, Shivi Sharma, Anshu Nagar, Archana, Reshika Beniwal, Samaira Raghav, Samridhi Dhingra, Armeet Kaur, Nandini Giri, Priyanshi, Ananya Bhardwaj, Manshi Garg, Shivani Jangid, Shweta Singh, Nancy Tyagi, Apeksha Anand, Jhilmil, Anamika.

South Delhi Superstarz: Priya Punia, Shweta Sehrawat, Ekta Bhadana, Tanisha Singh, Disha Nagar, Mayuri Singh, Nishika Singh, Himakshi Chaudhary, Tanishqa Singh, Aarti Kumari, Chhavi Gupta, Kashish, Ananya Pahuja, Avleen Kaur, Harshita, Mitali R, Geetanjali, Pragati Bisht, Anamika Kumari, Yashika, Roopali Vishwa Mohan.

Tags : Delhi Premier League, DPL 2026, Women's cricket, Delhi, Parunika Sisodia, Pratika Rawal, Tanisha Singh