Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield picked up for six-figure deals in WPL Auction

A host of Aussie cricket stars will join the Women’s Premier League for 2023 with two stars making big money in next to no time.

Australian cricket young guns Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield have made hundreds of thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes after being picked up in the second Women’s Premier League auction.

Sydney Thunder standout Litchfield sparked a bidding war, with the bidding getting to a healthy 1 crore ($A182,000) in a brilliant result for the 20-year-old before she was secured by the Gujarat Giants.

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But while Litchfield’s bank balance was suddenly looking a lot healthier, she was shaded by the 22-year-old Sutherland.

Sparking a bidding war between the Dehli Capitals and Mumbai Indians, the price went up to 2 crore ($A364,000) as the Capitals secured their star.

Sutherland had played in the first WPL, but was released by the Gujarat Giants along with fellow Aussies Kim Garth and Georgia Wareham.

It’s an excellent result for the duo, who join some of the biggest names in Australian cricket.

Sutherland will join former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who was retained by the Capitals in a sign the batting great will continue to play cricket next year.

Annabel Sutherland has made a huge deal. Photo by William WEST / AFP

At 20, Litchfield is already a superstar. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Lanning was one of nine Australians to be retained for the second season of the Women’s Premier League.

It comes after the former Australian captain withdrew from the Melbourne Stars’ final three WBBL games for personal reasons, with no timeline set on her return.

Lanning announced her immediate retirement from international cricket last month but said she would play on for Victoria and the Melbourne Stars, where she is contracted for another two WBBL campaigns.

The 31-year-old, who captained Delhi in the inaugural WPL season, is set to rejoin the side along with Brisbane Heat pair Jess Jonassen and Laura Harris.

Six of the 15 Australians who played in last year’s tournament were released by their franchises ahead of the auction, including Sutherland, Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth.

Only nine international player spots remain up for grabs, with 17 Australian players nominated for the auction among a pool of 165.

Garth, the former Irish quick who was named player of the series when Australia thrashed the West Indies in three T20 games in October, nominated for the highest price bracket of 50 lakh ($A90,000) along with only one other player – West Indian star Deandra Dottin.

The inaugural season in 2023 ran in March and was won by the Mumbai Indians.

With Ed Bourke, NCA Newswire

Australians in WPL 2024 teams

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner (A$577,000), Beth Mooney (A$361,000), Phoebe Litchfield ($182,000), Lauren Cheatle ($A55,000)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Ellyse Perry (A$306,000), Georgia Wareham ($A73,000), Sophie Molineux ($A55,000)

UP Warriorz: Tahlia McGrath (A$252,000), Grace Harris (A$135,000), Alyssa Healy (A$126,000)

Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (A$199,000), Jess Jonassen (A$90,000), Laura Harris (A$81,000), Annabel Sutherland (A$364,000)

Mumbai Indians: None

Unsold: Naomi Stalenberg, Kim Garth, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Alana King, Nicola Carey, Nicola Hancock, Millicent Illingworth, Erin Burns, Tess Flintoff, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Day, Courtney Webb

Originally published as Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield picked up for six-figure deals in WPL Auction