New Delhi, Oct 22: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction ahead of the 2026 season is set to be held in the last week of November in New Delhi, tournament sources told media on Wednesday.

Media understands that there was a toss-up between New Delhi and Goa as the WPL mega auction venue in the aforementioned window. But in the end, New Delhi emerged as the top choice as the hosts for the mega auction set to be held in the WPL for the first time.

The same has been communicated by the WPL committee to the five franchises – two-time winners Mumbai Indians, 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants.

“It is most likely during the last week of November that the WPL mega auction will happen. But nothing has been confirmed on the exact date of the auction and its expected to be finalised in some time from now. Once its done, the same will be communicated to the teams,” further said sources.

It is also understood that the auction proceedings will be completed in just one day, considering the number of teams in the competition. As per a previous intimation in October, the retention deadline is November 5, with five players to be retained per team.

Each franchise will be allowed to retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. If a team chooses to retain five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player.

The auction purse has been set at rs 15 crore. Retention slabs have been defined as follows: Rs 3.5 crore for Player 1, Rs 2.5 crore for Player 2, Rs 1.75 crore for Player 3, Rs 1 crore for Player 4, and Rs 50 lakh for Player 5. The Right to Match (RTM) option will enable franchises to buy back players who were part of their 2025 WPL squads, with a cap of five RTMs per team.

Depending on the number of retained players, the corresponding deductions from the purse will be: Rs 9.25 crore for five players, Rs 8.75 crore for four, Rs 7.75 crore for three, Rs 6 crore for two, and INR 3.5 crore for one. The number of RTMs available will vary accordingly – franchises retaining fewer players will have more RTMs at their disposal. Teams using all five retentions will forfeit the RTM option entirely.

After the retention deadline, franchises will submit players who will head into the auction on November 7, while the final date for the mega auction’s player registration is November 18 and final list of players in the auction will be released on November 20.

New Delhi, Oct 22: As Virat Kohli returned to his favourite hunting ground in Adelaide for the second ODI against Australia, the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) greeted the batting stalwart with a heartfelt message on social media.

Kohli, who had retired from T20Is and Test cricket, returned to international cricket in the first ODI against Australia, seven months after the Champions Trophy victory.

For Kohli, Adelaide has been a successful hunting ground over the years. His first Test hundred came at the same venue during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of 2011-12. He holds an impressive record at the ground, having scored 975 runs in just 12 international matches, the most by an Indian at this venue.

As Kohli stepped onto the field for the practice session, SACA shared a video of him entering the ground with Kohli’s previous post-match speech as a background score.

After this series, India won’t return to Australia for one-day internationals before the 2027 World Cup, meaning this series is expected to be the last time Kohli plays down under.

“One of cricket’s true icons, Virat Kohli returns to his beloved ground — training here for what may be his final appearance in international colours at Adelaide Oval,” SACA shared on X.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to welcome one of the greatest to ever grace the game over many years. Thank you, Virat, for the memories, the magic, and the moments that will live on in the hearts of South Australians and cricket fans around the world.

“You’ll always be welcome at Adelaide Oval. Don’t be a stranger, mate,” the post read.

Although the charismatic batter failed to make an impact with the bat, registering his first-ever duck on Australian soil, he will be aiming to uphold his impressive record at Adelaide in the second ODI, scheduled for Thursday.

When Kohli comes out to bat on Thursday, he will have the opportunity to surpass former skipper MS Dhoni’s record for the most runs scored by an Indian batter in the 50-over format at Adelaide Oval on October 23.

Dhoni has scored 262 runs in six games he played at Adelaide Oval, and Kohli has 244 runs in four games. He needs 19 runs to become the leading scorer at the venue in 50-over matches.

Adelaide, Oct 22: India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s underwhelming show with that bat in the ODI series opener against Australia, saying they had proper preparations for the series, but it was the weather that played the spoilsport.

Rohit and Kohli, who returned to playing international cricket on Sunday for the first time since the conclusion of the Champions Trophy 2025, registered the score of 8 off 14, and Kohli marked his first ever duck on Australian soil as India lost to by seven wickets (DLS) in what was a rain-marred affair, with the match being cut short to 26 overs a side.

Ahead of the second game of the three-match series, Kotak addressed questions about the two senior players’ preparations and said the weather conditions at the venue, which caused the players to be sent off the ground multiple times, were a key factor behind the batters struggling to find momentum.

“Both of them are very experienced. I think it was the weather. It would have been the same if Australia had come out to bat first. It is not easy when there are four or five interruptions and every two overs you are going in and coming back out,’ he told reporters on Wednesday.

“Before coming to Australia, they had proper preparation. I think it is too early to judge them. They just retired from Test cricket and still playing IPL. We are very much aware of what preparations they are doing, what their fitness status is. They also go to the National Cricket Academy. What they are doing there, their video, obviously, I would have (watched them).

“You have to find the right time to intervene. I am a big believer in that. With such senior players, you don’t want to intervene if it’s not required. If they are doing things right and you’re still trying to get involved, it may not be the right approach.

“I think both of them have a lot of experience. Obviously, they are playing IPL and they are constantly playing. Before coming to Australia, they had time in their preparations, and they have done it,” Kotak added.

Both Kohli and Rohit rejoined the ODI team after retiring from Test cricket earlier this year. However, their comeback didn’t go as planned. Rohit was dismissed for 8 by a sharp delivery from Josh Hazlewood, while Mitchell Starc dismissed Kohli for an eight-ball duck.

After the two top-order batters were sent back to the dugout soon inside the powerplay, questions were raised about their preparations. The duo’s return to competitive cricket after a long gap was hindered by a lack of game time, a factor experts and pundits cited as a reason for their poor outings.