Mumbai, Dec 9 (IANS) Delhi Capitals broke the bank for Australian allrounder Annabel Sutherland, beating Mumbai Indian in a fierce bidding war to claim the player for Rs 2 crore in the opening round of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction here on Saturday.

Delhi jumped into the fray for the 22-year-old right-hand batter and medium-fast bowler with a base price of Rs 40 lakh, with Mumbai Indians taking them on straight away.

The two giants went at it with gusto as they hiked their bids by Rs 5 lakh continuously before they breached the one-crore mark and went past 1.5 crore. With Delhi Capitals lifting the paddle for a Rs 2.0 crore bid, Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani pulled out of the bidding and the player went to Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals Head coach Jonathan Batty said they have come to the Auction with a certain strategy in mind and Annabel Sutherland fits the bill for them.

He said they already have a balanced squad and will go for players who can make it to the playing XI. "Annabel is a multi-skill player and can bat any position from No.3 to 7 and can bowl in any phase of the game," said Batty

The 1 crore mark was breached in the opening set of players with Phoebe Litchfield going for Rs 1 crore to Gujarat Giants. The player came up with a base price of Rs 30 lakh and Gujarat were engaged in a bidding battle with UP Warriorz before getting their player for Rs 1 crore.

Gujarat Giants mentor Mithali Raj said they were looking for a left-handed batter who can bat in the middle-order and Phoebe fits those parameters. "She bats in the middle-order for Australia. We wanted a leftie who could bat in the middle-order. We have another leftie in the middle-order so this brings a good balance," said MIthali.

While the two Australian players bagged the biggest bids, England's Danni Wyatt was picked up by UP Warriorz at the base price of Rs 30 lakh while the Royal Challengers Bangalore got Georgia Wareham of Australia for the base price of Rs 40 lakh.

Some well-known names like Veda Krishnamurthy of India, Poonam Raut, Maia Boucher of England, Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka and Deandra Dottin of West Indies, who were expected to attract big bids, went unsold as the franchises looked more interested in young players who bring multiple skills to the team.

Both Jonathan Batty and Mithali Raj said teams have come in with specific strategies in their mind and are not afraid to spend money if they feel the player fits their plans.