Former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was signed for Rs. 2 crore to Gujarat Giants at the WPL 2026 Auction in New Delhi on Thursday.

The all-rounder had missed the previous edition of the Women’s Premier League after taking a break from cricket for personal reasons.

Devine featured for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first two seasons in 2023 and 2024 and was part of the title-winning RCB side in 2024.

Across 18 WPL matches, she has scored 402 runs at an average of 23.65 and a strike rate of 153.44. With the ball, she has picked up nine wickets. Her 36-ball 99 for RCB against Gujarat Giants in 2024 remains the joint-highest individual score in the tournament’s history.

In international cricket, Devine recently retired from ODIs after playing her final match during the Women’s World Cup. The 36-year-old featured in her 159th and last ODI against England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, scoring 23 off 35 balls and picking up one wicket.

She finishes as the only New Zealand player, and the third overall, to score over 4,000 runs and take more than 100 wickets in women’s ODIs.

Devine, who captained New Zealand from 2020, also led the side to T20 World Cup glory last year in Dubai.

Published on Nov 27, 2025