Gujarat Giants signed G Kamalini for her ₹40 lakh base price at the WPL 2027 auction in Kochi on October 28. GG opened the bidding, and no other franchise made a bid.
Two years ago, Mumbai Indians paid ₹1.6 crore for her after a bidding war with Delhi Capitals. Since then she has earned an India T20I cap and an Asian Games gold medal.
The price looks like a fall. What the auction table cannot show is how hard it is to go back to under-19 cricket after you have already worn the senior India shirt.
G KAMALINI JOINS GUJARAT GIANTS! 🔥
The Indian youngster has been snapped up by Gujarat Giants for her base price of ₹40 lakh at the WPL 2027 Auction! 💰🏏
#WPL #Cricket #Sportskeeda https://t.co/RkYw0YDpW3
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 28, 2026
The reason for the silence is the schedule. WPL 2027 and the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup run almost on top of each other.
| Tournament | Dates |
|---|---|
| WPL 2027 | January 14 to February 7, 2027 |
| U19 Women’s T20 World Cup (Bangladesh and Nepal) | January 21 to February 6, 2027 |
This clash is why Mumbai Indians released her on retention day. A WPL source explained the decision to IANS.
“Mumbai Indians have confirmed that G. Kamalini was released from the squad due to her likely being a part of India’s U19 squad for the upcoming World Cup.”
WPL source to IANS, retention day, September 28, 2026
India has not named its U19 squad yet. Until it does, every franchise had to price Kamalini as a player who could miss almost the entire WPL season.
Insider Read
Once you have played for India, your game adjusts to senior pace. The ball arrives quicker, fields are set smarter, and you learn to wait for your scoring chances. Going back to U19 cricket is not a rest. The bowling is slower, so your timing is early, and everyone expects you to score heavily because you have already played above this level.
A keeper carries an extra load on top of that. She takes every ball, and at a junior World Cup she is the experienced voice the nervous bowlers look to. With an India cap behind her name, a low score stops being a bad day. It becomes a story about her.
What Gujarat Giants Actually Bought
GG did not need a keeper for January. Beth Mooney keeps wicket in their XI, and Yastika Bhatia was retained as cover. GG released uncapped keeper Shivani Singh before the auction, which opened the slot.
| Season | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WPL 2025 | Mumbai Indians (auction) | ₹1.60 crore |
| WPL 2026 | Mumbai Indians (retained) | ₹50 lakh |
| WPL 2027 | Gujarat Giants (auction) | ₹40 lakh |
Her record explains why GG still made the bid. She became the youngest WPL debutant at 16 years and 213 days, against GG in February 2025. She received her T20I cap from Harmanpreet Kaur in December 2025 and replaced Yastika in the India squad that won Asian Games gold in Japan.
Her WPL numbers are modest. She scored 75 runs in five games in 2026 before a shoulder injury ended her season. The ₹40 lakh is a verdict on her calendar, not her cricket.
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