Uma Kashvi, 15, becomes youngest player bought at WPL auction as Delhi Capitals sign Karnataka all-rounder

Karnataka all-rounder Uma Kashvi became the youngest player purchased at the Women's Premier League 2027 auction in Kochi on October 28 when Delhi Capitals signed the 15-year-old for Rs 10 lakh. At 15 years and 202 days, Kashvi surpassed Deeya Yadav, who was 16 when bought at last year's auction.

A right-arm off-spinner who can bat in the middle order, Kashvi progressed through Karnataka's age-group system and has represented India Under-19 against Sri Lanka in 2026. Her availability for the WPL is uncertain because she is part of India’s Under-19 World Cup plans; the tournament, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh and Nepal, overlaps with the WPL.

Kashvi began formal training at around seven-and-a-half and produced early signs of batting dominance, scoring an unbeaten 217 in a junior club-level inter-school tournament in Bengaluru at age 12. At nine she received the Young Talent Award at the India Nippon Cup and shared a dressing room with Veda Krishnamurthy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil.

She has taken on leadership roles in Karnataka cricket, captaining the Under-15 side and leading Bengaluru Blasters in the Maharani Trophy; in the 2025 edition she scored 48 off 42 balls against Mysore Warriors. Kashvi also featured in Karnataka’s Under-19 T20 campaign and was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Under-19 One-Day Trophy.

At international junior level she played for India Under-19 against Sri Lanka in June and July 2026, taking four wickets in three T20 matches and two wickets in two one-day games. In Karnataka’s Under-19 T20 Trophy quarter-final against Vidarbha on October 22, 2026, she recorded figures of 3/18 in four overs, added 11 off 13 with the bat as Karnataka defended 140/7 to win by six runs, and was named Player of the Match.

Kashvi’s batting credentials were highlighted in the Women’s Under-15 One-Day Trophy 2025-26, where she finished as the leading run-scorer with 516 runs at an average of 172, including three centuries and a half-century. One of those innings came on January 10, 2026, against Manipur when she made an unbeaten 158 off 66 balls, hitting 23 fours and seven sixes as Karnataka posted 321/5 in 35 overs at the Aditya Academy Ground in Kolkata and won by 275 runs.

Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty said the franchise had been monitoring Kashvi and that its scouting network influenced the decision to sign her. “She has been on our radar for a little while. Our scouts have watched her play extensively and shared some incredible feedback, and I have seen her play as well. We believe she could become an absolute superstar in the future,” Batty added: “At 15, she is very much a work in progress, and we are not expecting her to be the finished article just yet. This is a long-term project for Delhi Capitals.” He also said: “It is a wonderful opportunity for her to be part of this setup, learn from our top coaches and work alongside international stars. Hopefully, she will learn a huge amount from the players around her. This is the first step on a journey that we hope will lead to Indian recognition in the future, and we’re excited to see her progress.”

At the Kochi auction Delhi Capitals added four players — Kashvi, Kiran Navgire, Nazma Khan and Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon — to a core of 13 retained players, spending Rs 1.05 crore at the auction. Navgire was the franchise’s top buy at Rs 75 lakh while Kashvi, Khan and Gordon were each bought for Rs 10 lakh, taking Delhi Capitals’ total squad expenditure to Rs 14.95 crore including Rs 13.9 crore on retentions; Kashvi’s WPL debut could be delayed because of her involvement in India’s Under-19 World Cup plans.