WPL 2026 Auction: 36-year-old Shikha Pandey Fetches 2.4 Cr, Second-Most Expensive Indian

In one of the biggest surprises of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction, veteran Shikha Pandey shocked the world as she received one of the biggest pay bumps, getting sold for a whopping 2.40 crore to UP Warriorz. 

Pandey, who last played for India in February 2023 and fetched just 60 lakh at the previous mega auction, incited a massive bidding war between UPW and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). 

The veteran began with a base price of INR 40 lakh but the massive two-way bidding war saw the price rise over 2 crore in no time. At one point, it looked like RCB would secure her services for 2.2 crore, but then UPW made the decisive bid to snap the 36-year-old up for 2.4 crore.

At the time of her purchase, Pandey was the second-most expensive Indian, only behind Deepti Sharma, who was RTM’d for a staggering 3.2 crore. 

Despite no longer being part of the national team, the veteran has continued to be a consistent performer in franchise leagues across the world.

In the recently concluded Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), she took 5 wickets at an economy of 6.73, representing Trinbago Knight Riders Women (TKRW). In the 2024 Women’s Big Bash League, she took 12 wickets at an E.R. of 6.90 for Brisbane Heat Women. Meanwhile, in WPL 2025, representing Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL, she took 11 wickets at an economy of 7.09.