Swashbuckling Sri Lanka opener and captain Chamari Athapaththu, who was looked at as a player who could invite the biggest bid at WPL Auction 2024, surprisingly went unsold on Saturday. With her base price at only INR 30 lakh, there were no takers for her. It is noteworthy, that she is one of the most sought-after T20 players in the women’s game, having played 122 internationals, scoring 2651 runs at a strike rate of 106. She has bagged 40 wickets as well and is a decent off-spinner.
“I thought she was going to be one of the top three picks,” Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards told reporters, as per FoxSports. “I’m shocked she didn’t get taken. She’s a high-quality player who has performed brilliantly over the last 12 months in franchise cricket.”
Chamari Athapaththu Once Again Ignored in Auction
Despite having a stellar record, it seems there is something that the franchises across the world are overlooking Athapaththu, and not just WPL. Before this, she was overlooked in drafts of The Hundred, WPL, and the WBBL. It was only later that she was picked by the Sydney Thunder. There too she proved her mettle and scored 552 runs at an average of 42.46 and picked nine wickets. Her team went on to play in the finals.
Another shocker of the day came when West Indies star Deandra Dottin was not picked by any of the WPL franchises.