Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India: The paddles went up early and the bidding never cooled. At the Season 1 Player Auction of the Women's Pro Volleyball League (WPVL), India's first professional women's volleyball league and affiliated with the Steering Committee, Volleyball Federation of India, six franchises snapped up 66 players for a combined Rs. 78.85 lakh.
India's First Women's Pro Volleyball League Builds Squads With Rs 1.5 Crore Investment
Six franchises, Rs. 25 lakh each, 14 players per team: 66 players sold for Rs. 78.85 lakh at the WPVL Season 1 auction
Women’s Volleyball League Launch Event
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Women’s Volleyball League Launch Event
The money is real. Each franchise carries a Rs. 25 lakh budget: Rs. 15 lakh for the auction, Rs. 7 lakh for its foreign players and Rs. 3 lakh for its Icon player, taking the league's total player budget to Rs. 1.5 crore. Every team will field a 14-player squad, 84 players in all.
Season 1 Player Auction of the Women's Pro Volleyball League (WPVL)
Five players hit the day's ceiling of Rs. 2.5 lakh. Punjab SherniZ landed Kavita, Bengaluru Thunders doubled up with Anna Mathew and Ezhilmathi D P, Rajasthan Queens claimed Shilpa R S and Mumbai Dolphins won the race for Prerona Pal. Hyderabad Harriers moved fast for setter Nandana V at Rs. 2.4 lakh, while Lucknow Shahi Warriors made Anamika P their top buy at Rs. 1.8 lakh. Bengaluru Thunders were the boldest spenders, splashing Rs. 13.9 lakh of their Rs. 15 lakh auction purse.
Every squad is built around a marquee Icon player: Anagha Radhakrishnan (Bengaluru Thunders), Shaalini Saravanan (Mumbai Dolphins), Ayushi Bhandari (Rajasthan Queens), Roli Pathak (Lucknow Shahi Warriors), Anusree K P (Hyderabad Harriers) and Juhi Shaw (Punjab SherniZ).
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Calling the shots at the tables were the owners: Inderjeet Singh, Brajesha Sharma, Amresndra Singh, Jai Govind Singh, Manju Singh and Mritunjay Singh (Bengaluru Thunders); Tamoghon Gupta, Mukesh Kumar, Nirankar Singh and Jaswant Singh (Mumbai Dolphins); Raju Jatt (Rajasthan Queens); Anjali Mishra (Lucknow Shahi Warriors); Sunit Kumar (Hyderabad Harriers); and Ashu Bhadouria, Madhur Lahoti, Anany Pratap Singh, Indresh Pratap Singh and Pramugdha Solanki (Punjab SherniZ).
Dr. R.P. Singh graced the auction as chief guest.
Dr. Rajeshwar Singh, MLA of Sarojini Nagar, attended as guest of honour.
Wrestling champion and WPVL brand ambassador Sangram Singh joined the owners on stage. The event was organised by Powerspike International and managed by Xperia Group.
“Today, India's women volleyball players finally have a league of their own,” said Mrs. Ritu Shahi, Founder, WPVL. “Season 1 is only the beginning. We want to build a lasting pathway that grows every year and inspires young girls across the country to pick up a volleyball.”
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The squads are set and the countdown is on. Over eleven days, six teams will chase the first-ever WPVL crown at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, from 11 to 21 November 2026. The league is backed by Ptraani by Nupur, King Power, JUST, Vixen, HYPR and Yushfa.
About WPVL
The Women's Pro Volleyball League (WPVL) is India's first professional women's volleyball league, affiliated with the Steering Committee, Volleyball Federation of India. Founded by Mrs. Ritu Shahi and Dr. Bukhrat Ahmed and organised by Powerspike International, the league gives India's women volleyball players a professional stage.
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