Mumbai Indians drop Asian Games gold medallist G Kamalini ahead of WPL 2027 auction
Mumbai Indians released 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini on September 28, 2026, in a retention-list announcement made ahead of the WPL 2027 auction, days after she was part of India's gold-medal-winning squad at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The move came as part of a wider set of player changes across the Women's Premier League ahead of the October auction.
Kamalini was a member of the India side that beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the women's T20 final on September 22, with India posting 216 for 3; Smriti Mandhana scored 79, Shafali Verma made 48 and Richa Ghosh finished unbeaten on 49, and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69. Kamalini did not bat in the final but was part of the gold-winning squad. She became the youngest player to debut in the WPL when she played for Mumbai Indians against Gujarat Giants in February 2025 at 16 years and 213 days, surpassing the previous record held by Shabnam Shakil. Kamalini earned a senior India call-up in December 2025 and subsequently made her international debut, having earlier been a key member of India's Under-19 Women's World Cup-winning team and starring in the Under-19 Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
Mumbai Indians also released Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha, Milly Illingworth, Kranthi Reddy and Poonam Khemnar alongside Kamalini as they finalised their list ahead of the auction. The club's retention and release decisions form part of a broader reshuffle as franchises adjust squads before the WPL player market opens. The announcement did not include any direct quotes from team officials or players.
Other franchises confirmed a series of departures in the same round of announcements: Delhi Capitals released Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee and Alana King; Gujarat Giants moved on from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Titas Sadhu; Royal Challengers Bengaluru released Grace Harris, Linsey Smith, Dayalan Hemalatha and Gautami Naik. UP Warriorz released a group of experienced internationals and domestic players, including Deandra Dottin, Amy Jones, Chloe Tryon, Asha Sobhana, Kiran Navgire and Shweta Sehrawat.
Published retention lists included a number of established names retained by franchises: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani, Niki Prasad, Sree Charani, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma and Deeya Yadav were listed as retained. Another retained group named Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwer, Yastika Bhatia, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Kanika Ahuja, Happy Kumari and Jintimani Kalita. Additional retention listings included Harmanpreet Kaur, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nicola Carey, Shabnim Ismail, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Rahila Firdous and Vaishnavi Sharma.
The WPL 2027 auction is scheduled for October 28 in Kochi. The fifth season of the Women's Premier League is set to begin on January 14, 2027, and run until February 7, with released players, including Kamalini, eligible for selection by any franchise at the auction.
