"Teams prefer all-rounders": Abhishek Nayar opens up on wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy going unsold in WPL auction

New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): Star Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy went unsold during the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction on Thursday. UP Warriorz (UPW) head coach Abhishek Nayar believes Healy's specialisation as a wicketkeeper-batter limited her options, as teams preferred all-rounders in their set-up, and the four-overseas-player limit made it tough for her to fit into teams.

Healy was the first name to go under the hammer during the WPL 2026 auction. Healy has struggled with fitness issues since last year's T20 World Cup. She also struggled for rhythm in the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season. Earlier, she was bought for Rs 70 lakh by UP Warriorz in the WPL 2023 auction.

"Alyssa Healy going unsold was surprising for different reasons. When you're allowed only four overseas players [in the XI], your options are limited, and many teams prefer all-rounders in their set-up. It's a tough situation for someone of her stature," Abhishek Nayar said as per ESPNcricinfo.

Anya Shrubsole, assistant coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), believed Healy did not fit RCB's combination.

"We have a very strong top order, and Georgia Voll gives us some offspin as well," she said. "With Richa Ghosh [as a wicketkeeper-batter] in the top five, going for Healy didn't make sense for us," Shrubsole said.

Healy entered the auction at a base price of Rs 50 lakh after being released by UPW, who had signed her for Rs 70 lakh for the first two seasons. She is currently playing for Sydney Sixers in the WBBL and recently scored consecutive ODI World Cup hundreds against India and Bangladesh.

Star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who won the Player of the Tournament in the Women's World Cup 2025, got the highest bid in the WPL 2026 auction. She was picked up by UP Warriorz - using the Right to Match (RTM) card.

She was bought for a whopping Rs 3.20 crore, making her the second-highest-paid Indian women's player in WPL history after RCB captain Smriti Mandhana's Rs 3.40 crore in WPL 2023 auction. (ANI)

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