The Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 Season 3 Player Auction is set for 1 July in New Delhi, with more than 600 players — over 400 men and more than 200 women — competing for spots across eight men's franchises and four women's franchises. The event marks one of the most keenly watched days in Delhi's domestic cricket calendar, with marquee names including Rishabh Pant and Pratika Rawal headlining the respective pools.

Auction Structure and Purse Breakdown

Each of the eight men's franchises enters the auction with a total purse of ₹1.5 crore, adjusted after retention deductions. The four women's franchises hold a base purse of ₹75 lakh each, similarly trimmed post-retentions. Players in both competitions are divided into four tiers: Marquee, Category A, Category B, and Category C, with base prices ranging from ₹10 lakh (men's Marquee) down to ₹1 lakh (men's Category C), and from ₹5 lakh (women's Marquee) to ₹75,000 (women's Category C).

Before the auction, 65 men's players and 28 women's players were retained by their franchises. Every franchise in both competitions holds one Right to Match (RTM) card, usable once to re-acquire a previously owned player by matching the final bid.

Men's Marquee Pool

The men's Marquee category — reserved for India internationals, India A players, and those who have featured in an IPL squad in any of the last three seasons — features Rishabh Pant prominently alongside Ishant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, Mayank Yadav, Anuj Rawat, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sarthak Ranjan, Suyash Sharma, Vansh Bedi, and Tejasvi. Among men's retentions, Nitish Rana commands the highest retention fee at ₹34 lakh by West Delhi Lions, followed by Prince Yadav at ₹33 lakh for New Delhi Tigers.

Women's Marquee Pool

On the women's side, the Marquee category — comprising India international women cricketers from Delhi/DDCA and players who featured in Women's Premier League (WPL) squads over the past three seasons — includes Pratika Rawal, Priya Punia, Priya Mishra, Parunika Sisodia, and Simran Dil Bahadur. Of the 28 women's retentions, three were from the Marquee category, eight from Category A, twelve from Category B, and five from Category C.

What DDCA President Said

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Rohan Jaitley described the auction as 'one of the most exciting days in the Delhi cricket calendar,' adding: 'It is the moment when teams begin taking shape, and franchises make the strategic calls that will define their season. The DPL has grown into a competition that genuinely matters for Delhi cricket, both as a platform for established players and as a stage for emerging talent to prove themselves.'

Squad Rules and Where to Watch

Men's franchises must field squads of 20 to 25 players, with exactly two Marquee, exactly four Category A, six to ten Category B, and eight to nine Category C players. Women's franchises must assemble 18 to 22 players, with exactly two Marquee, exactly four Category A, seven to eight Category B, and five to eight Category C players. The auction begins at 9 am IST on 1 July and will be broadcast live on Jio Hotstar and the official DPL T20 YouTube channel.